THIS YEAR, more than 600,000 couples in the UK will be faced with the delightful and deadly serious task of picking a name their new baby will take into life.
Some will follow the current trend of going retro, and call their new lad Alfie, or Albert -or, if it’s a girl, go for the equally backward-looking (and now fashionable) Mabel or Ava. But as we all know, the gift of the name we bestow on the newcomer is often forgotten as they grow up and reveal their personality or some peculiarity.
It’s then that they get what for some is a curse and others a blessing…a nickname, perhaps one that will last a lifetime.
Besides the advantage of being brief, and often reflecting character, nicknames often have stories behind them. Sometimes they also make entertainers and sports people and politicians extra memorable.
“Besides the
