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HelpDick as a nickname for Richard
As a hypothetical question, what would happen if a child named Richard today was nicknamed Dick? For me personally, Dick is my favorite nickname for Richard, so if I were to nickname my child Dick, would that be a good idea? Would people be mature about it as I would, and would if "toughen up" the child and let them know who their real friends are, make the child miserable due to kids being immature and the kid not being able to ignore it, or if a kid grew up with a Dick would he simply ignore the double meaning, since he/she would've heard their classmates' name become the slang term? Would it be generally a good or bad idea if there were to be done?
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Several people in my family are named Richard, and they all go by Dick. They are all over the age of 60 though (actually might all be over the age of 80 by now!).
I would never use it today. There is no reasoning or explanation that would persuade me to use it either. I think justification in this case would make the parent selfish.
In any case, if someone named their child Richard today - no one would ever use Dick. No friends or family would honor the parents wishes with that nickname.
I would never use it today. There is no reasoning or explanation that would persuade me to use it either. I think justification in this case would make the parent selfish.
In any case, if someone named their child Richard today - no one would ever use Dick. No friends or family would honor the parents wishes with that nickname.
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I'd avoid it. At least people still realize that it's a nickname for Richard.
This message was edited 9/18/2017, 6:49 PM
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Why would you go with Dick when you can go with Rich ;) lol
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I don't think it would be a good idea, but saying that, I know a guy named Dickon who never had any problems with his name.
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Although kids will always find a way to tease another child if they really want to, there's no need to hand it to them on a silver platter. It would also make a child wonder what his parents really must have thought of him.
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
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Very bad idea, and there's a very good reason why Dick has been out of fashion for several generations.
It doesn't just mean the penis; it also means an unpleasant person, like an asshole.
No, kids would not be mature about it, and it might "toughen" young Richard up by making him a brawler with a big chip on his shoulder. And even if by some chance no one ever teased him about it, he would soon enough learn the slang term and would not appreciate it.
It doesn't just mean the penis; it also means an unpleasant person, like an asshole.
No, kids would not be mature about it, and it might "toughen" young Richard up by making him a brawler with a big chip on his shoulder. And even if by some chance no one ever teased him about it, he would soon enough learn the slang term and would not appreciate it.
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sorry that my comment enticed negative reactions. My question was purely hypothetical, and it seemed as though some of you thought I was having a child and giving them this nick-name, which I am not, which seemed to be the reason for which some of you had an exceptionally negative reaction to my comment. I'm sorry for my possible confusion in my initial comment.
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you'd have gotten the same reaction ...
Even if you explicitly stated you weren't actually planning to do it.
Even if you explicitly stated you weren't actually planning to do it.
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Sorry
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Awful idea, hands down. It's handing ammunition to people who dislike him, which everyone has, and holding pretty high expectations for the kids who are after all still kids to be 'mature' about it. Kids aren't mature. No teen boy wouldn't laugh over this. If I met a young child who's parents called him Dick, I would wonder why on earth they would do that to him.
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I don't think Dick is a usable nn or name anymore. I have a soft spot for it; I grew up as a child with 'The Famous Five' and I always associated it with a series I loved. I still think it's better than all of Richard's other nns. But now I'm well aware of the connotations, and I couldn't use it. It's not just that it's slang for penis, but it's a derogatory term as well that extends beyond the playground. Not a good idea, and really not worth it. Richard as is, is good enough.
This message was edited 9/17/2017, 12:23 PM
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Poop jokes are still funny to kids - and even adults.
Sex jokes are still hilarious to adults - there wouldn't be stand-up comedy or sitcoms without them.
Therefore...
there shall be no more Richards nicknamed 'Dick'. It just shouldn't happen.
Sex jokes are still hilarious to adults - there wouldn't be stand-up comedy or sitcoms without them.
Therefore...
there shall be no more Richards nicknamed 'Dick'. It just shouldn't happen.
This message was edited 9/17/2017, 11:39 AM
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