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HelpRe: Uncommon nicknames
in reply to a message by Crista
If I liked Daisy or Sasha or Sadie enough to want to use them at all, I'd just give them as the full name. I would think that somebody who names their daughter Margaret and then calls her Daisy is being unbearably "oh, see all the books we have read! We gave this fine, dignified name Margaret after dear Great Aunt Meg, but we shall call her Daisy! It's in all the books we have read! By the by, did you know we have read many books!"
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But if you're enough of a "name-nerd," wouldn't using an antiquated NN just speak to your love and knowledge of names? I mean, if someone has a hobby they shouldn't feel embarrassed to be more well-versed in that hobby than others might be - it's not pompous and showy, it's just their reality
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I don't really consider name-nerdiness to be a hobby. I might have, years ago, but being around people who really are name-nerdes has kind of soured me on it. To me, extreme name-nerdiness is the epitome of showing off and being pretentious. Like the annoying kid in class who is always going "actually..." and nitpicking apart the lesson till it's barely recognizable and has totally bored and confused the other students.
And Daisy as a nn for Margaret seems especially pretentious and show-off because it is not natural. Meg or Maggie would be a natural nn for Margaret, but Daisy is only a nn because of some little trick of language. Marguerite is an old-fashioned word for Daisy, and somebody way back when decided that Marguerite was the same as Margaret, even though Margaret means pearl. So to insist on using Daisy as a nn for Margaret seems very much like putting on airs and trying too hard to show off how classically-literate and name-nerdy you are.
And Daisy as a nn for Margaret seems especially pretentious and show-off because it is not natural. Meg or Maggie would be a natural nn for Margaret, but Daisy is only a nn because of some little trick of language. Marguerite is an old-fashioned word for Daisy, and somebody way back when decided that Marguerite was the same as Margaret, even though Margaret means pearl. So to insist on using Daisy as a nn for Margaret seems very much like putting on airs and trying too hard to show off how classically-literate and name-nerdy you are.
This message was edited 3/16/2013, 3:24 PM
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"I don't really consider name-nerdiness to be a hobby"
So then what do you consider all the time you spend on this board??
"being around people who really are name-nerdes has kind of soured me on it"
If you're so soured by such things (which are the nature of this site) why do you frequent the page?
So then what do you consider all the time you spend on this board??
"being around people who really are name-nerdes has kind of soured me on it"
If you're so soured by such things (which are the nature of this site) why do you frequent the page?
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If you're so annoyed by name-nerds, why do you come to this board?
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There's plenty of people who aren't name-nerds who come here, and more topics discussed than just names.
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So she can continually attack anything and everything for being even slightly intellectual? Reeks of insecurity and inferiority.
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I can understand the nitpicking thing but would be more inclined to feel that if say, some couple chose Margaret "Daisy" for no particular reason and absolutely NEVER called her Margaret - then I'd probably think "what are you trying to prove?" But if it was chosen to honor an aunt Margaret, but they wanted her to have her "own" name (particularly if aunt Margaret is still living) and liked Daisy anyway, I'd think it was a nice gesture. I'd like Margaret "Pearl" just as well in this situation
This message was edited 3/16/2013, 3:34 PM
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Not every BtNer is a name-nerd. I like names, but I wouldn't consider myself to be one.
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I wasn't trying to imply that. I mostly meant, if you are at all studied in names (beyond the general public)/consider names an interest. That's why I put name-nerd in quotes
(eta - "you" being a general you, not anyone specifically)
(eta - "you" being a general you, not anyone specifically)
This message was edited 3/16/2013, 3:13 PM
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Eh, I still wouldn't do it. Again, if I liked an uncommon nickname but didn't much care for the "real" name, I would just use the nickname. I wouldn't care what other people thought.
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I'm not trying to convince anyone to do it, really. I was just saying that judging someone else for doing it and assuming they chose to to seem "well-read" feels weird - like calling an astronomer showy for speaking intelligently about stars
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I don't share the opinion that someone who does that is showing off how well-read they are. I didn't really go off Rox Star's original post, I just jumped off yours, and then it got a little confusing. Sorry about that.
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