Of Men and Nicknames

Nicknames can be passwords into an inner circle of friends. Using some must to be earned. Just knowing some requires familiarity. Getting a nickname from such close pals is a badge of honor. To close friends, for example, Congressman Mike Ross’s nickname is “click.” Only his hunting pals use it. He earned the nickname by forgetting to load his rifle when he was on his first deer hunt. When he saw a big buck he aimed and pulled the trig but only heard “click.” The buck ran off and the nickname stuck.

More often, nicknames are a little more public. They can even be badges of honor. They’re earned. They say something about us. A Special Forces officer I once interviewed was nicknamed “Moses.” I thought it was because he was wise. He said, “No, you’re thinking of Solomon. I’m called Moses because I once parted a black sea in Mogadishu with a shotgun. You know, before Blackhawk Down happened.”

Some nicknames begin as passwords between pals before growing to replace given names. Eldrick Woods is “Tiger Woods” real name. He was given the nickname “Tiger” by his father to remind him to fight for his dreams. This has been going on a long time. Plato’s real name was “Aristocles.” The nickname “Platon” was given to the Ancient Greek philosopher by his wrestling coach, Ariston of Argos. It means “broad.”

Sports are, of course, a major source of nicknames. Tom “Flash” Gordon earned his nickname when he burst on to the scene as a pitcher in 1989 at the age of 21 and went 17-9. The X-Games star Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White nickname was earned was his acrobatic moves and long red hair.

George Herman “Babe” Ruth grew so legendary we forgot his first name. In fact, he earned a lot of nicknames: “The Great Bambino,” “The Sultan of Swat,” “The Colossus of Clout,” and simply “The Babe.”

Adam “Pacman” Jones received his nickname as a young child, when it was noted that he could drink his milk as fast as the video game character. (Due to legal troubles, Jones now wants to be known as “Adam Jones.” So yes, we can also lose our hard-earned nicknames when we err.)