People Who Abbreviate Other People's Names In An Unconvincing Attempt At Matiness

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

A woman in my office does this. For some reason it really irritates me. For instance, Maggie is now called Magz (what, Maggie not short and matey enough?) and Roger is Rog etc. She even asked the Kenyan woman who works in the office, who is called Francisca, if she could shorten her name to Fran - and Francisca looked at her like she was nuts. It's as if she can't actually bring herself to use names that she finds too formal so she invents ones to use instead.

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:33 (twenty years ago)

Can I call you Izzy?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

people who call me al get ignored. lots of people have tried. idiots.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:36 (twenty years ago)

I absolutely hate being called Katie, I mean surely Kate is short and to the point enough? Katie has two syllables for fucks sake.

― She's been known to sleep on piles of dry leaves... (papa november), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:43 (twenty years ago)

Izzy! I like that!

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:44 (twenty years ago)

girls sometimes do a full name thing, if you have a shortened name, which can be quite cute. often with an undercurrent of mock disgust, though this can sometimes be your full extended name

― terry lennox. (gareth), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:47 (twenty years ago)

'Al'! that suits you impossibly badly, Alex, why would they even try!

I have the opposite problem, in that people try and call me 'Cecilia' in an unconvincing attempt at, i don't know, cuteness? which... no. Not my name, not answering to it.

― permanent revolution (cis), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:49 (twenty years ago)

people who call me al get ignored. lots of people have tried. idiots.

ah that Paul Simon out-take that never saw the light of day

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:51 (twenty years ago)

This women in my office. She uses her mother's surname instead of her father's and having been in the office for over a month announced that she didn't like being called by her forename and preferred to be called by her surname. She obviously has some kind of hang up about names, is there a Freudian in the house?!?!?

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:53 (twenty years ago)

I was just trying to work out what 'Matiness' meant and couldn't get beyond 'Matinees' or 'Manatees'.

I'll abbreviate where appropriate (infinitely prefer Steve to Steven for example) but when people insist on some sort of wacky nickname I end up just calling them by their real name.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:53 (twenty years ago)

Hey Al - I've managed to get on the guest list for Michael Mayer's exclusive bedroom set, and there's only one name on there - yours. Al? Al?

Al?
.
.
.
Al?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 31 March 2006 11:56 (twenty years ago)

'Al'! that suits you impossibly badly, Alex, why would they even try!

i have no idea, cis. i don't even hear it any more.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:03 (twenty years ago)

Lex sounds very Scottish to me

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:04 (twenty years ago)

But then, there is Lex Luthor I suppose

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:05 (twenty years ago)

It's as if she can't actually bring herself to use names that she finds too formal so she invents ones to use instead.
-- Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow

So the beautiful woman in my office who does this to me isn't actually flirting, but simply has problems with formality? This is very bad news.

― richardk (Richard K), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:08 (twenty years ago)

girls sometimes do a full name thing, if you have a shortened name, which can be quite cute. often with an undercurrent of mock disgust, though this can sometimes be your full extended name

Does this mean that most people know you as Gaz?

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Most people know him as Garethy-warethy

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Gareth is OTM though, a stern Matthew is really sexy.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:13 (twenty years ago)

Yes, it is nice when girls do that. It's like they've been thinking about you.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

Extending other people's names in an attempt at matiness is worse, cf Chris on The Office calling David Brent "The Brentmeister"

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:21 (twenty years ago)

The problem with hanging out with ILXors is that I'm usually referred to as 'Steve M' (ok mainly cos there are other Steves) but then I start calling Matt 'Matt DC' when there's no need to. And e.g. 'the pinefox' on ILE is also 'the pinefox' in the pub, unless you know him so well.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:24 (twenty years ago)

I was about to mention people calling Matt Matthew, and now I won't.

I am not nor have ever been Andy. Most people figure this out quickly, but ironically the 'people people' in recruitment agencies can't seem to quite get a grasp on it.

The Pinefox seems to entirely prefer his sobriquet, eg DV calls him that all the time!

DV is similar, but actually quite awkward because I've known him by his real name for a decade. I tend to play it by ear when discussing him with someone else, as regards (name)/DV/The Dirty Vicar.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:29 (twenty years ago)

And, let's face it, everyone in Ireland knows a dirty vicar or two

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:31 (twenty years ago)

I always really like abbreviating names to an initial? Possibly this is just because I like mine so much.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:33 (twenty years ago)

G works generally.

I used to go by "Charles" but people often felt uncomfortable calling me that, citing that it's quite a formal-sounding first name so I caved in and started letting people call me whatever the fuck they like.

Sadly I now get introduced to people as "Cuntiechops" on a regular basis.

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:43 (twenty years ago)

I quite liked being called JB. Unless someone did it repetedly, but nobody ever has. I don't mind too much what I'm called, although I draw the line at Jonathan.

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:44 (twenty years ago)

One of the dickheads that works with me - whom I detest for a large number of other reasons - found out (because I told him) that I hated to have my name abbreviated (My mother is the only one who gets away with doing this...But she's allowed a lot of leeeway that others are not), he then insisted on doing this because he found it amusing - and then became quickly unamused when I refused to answer him when he did it.

I mean "Jason" only has two syllables, how much shortening does it really need?

― Stone Monkey (Stone Monkey), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Keep you hair on Jase, it's only a bit of fun, ain't you got a sense of humour? Etc...

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:48 (twenty years ago)

Argh. My name is Kate. It is *not* Katie or Kati or Kathy or Cat or Catty. This is quite important, as I have friends called almost all of those things, and my name distinguishes me from them.

However, in my office, there are 3 other Katies. If people call out "Kati" or "Katie" I think it's for them, and patently disregard it.

So this woman in my office comes over and starts repeatedly going "Kati. Kati. Kati! After an annoying amount of repetitions, I glance up at her and realise that she it attempting to address me. I told her that I was Kate and she got all huffy and "whatever" because I did not respond to something that was NOT my name, and was the name of three other people in my department. Grrrrrrr.

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:49 (twenty years ago)

http://domino.serpent.pl/images/ferdinand_matine100.jpg

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:52 (twenty years ago)

i'm fairly immune to this, but it's extremely annoying to watch happen to others. i can only imagine how it must feel.

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:53 (twenty years ago)

some fuxors call me 'David' at work - can't stand it. fuxor, you are just proving that we have no relationship to one another.

― Dave AKA Dave (dave225.3), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

good that you get to keep your Aaron.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

I know Kates who prefer Katie and Daves who prefer David. What I never understood is why nobody seemed to want to call me Steve until I went to college.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

I'm so anxious to avoid over-matiness that I have two old friends, where I'm the only person, aside, possibly, from their parents, who doesn't call them by their nick-names.

― Bidfurd (Bidfurd), Friday, 31 March 2006 12:57 (twenty years ago)

I prefer to call him Aarry.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:04 (twenty years ago)

people sometimes abbreviate my name to l or lp, which is fine. a few people have tried to call me laurie, which is not. one of my best friends occasionally calls me lolly or lozza, which is fine because it's her. anyone else would get a black eye. over-matiness, especially cutesy over-matiness = dud.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:06 (twenty years ago)

It is generally advisable to call people by the name with which they introduce themselves. Unless you know them well enough to make something else up, or if there is a funny story - like "Chuck" and "Barry".

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:06 (twenty years ago)

good point, kat-o

― Dave AKA Dave (dave225.3), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

You do not know me well enough to make something up. So now I am going to reach through your monitor and PUNCH YOU IN THE NOSE!!! Take that, Devvaday!

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:08 (twenty years ago)

Surely I get to prize for when people call me "Dick" even when I say I don't like it as a nickname. Funny how it always happens to be my flamboyantly gay friends that do it.

― richardk (Richard K), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:09 (twenty years ago)

i've used LP before for lauren!

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:10 (twenty years ago)

Hasn't rob schneider covered this ad nauseam?

I was called Katie up until I was 10 when it suddenly changed to Kate or Katharine. I much prefer Katie to either of those. There is only one person who calls me Katie and, more often than not, that turns into Kitty. I don't know. To me, 'Kate' sounds pretty harsh. Kind of like a german saying goodnight.

And, yeah, Davids should stay Davids. When a name has that much history you really shouldn't fuck with it.

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:11 (twenty years ago)

I've been tempted to hail Lauren as L-Boogie at least once in the past. How silly.

A couple of my housemates at college called me Stevo sometimes but I didn't mind this at all.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:11 (twenty years ago)

Then you used CD and now you use MP3? (xxpost)

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:12 (twenty years ago)

Dave, King Of The Jews

works much better!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

Kate is a short, concise, elegant and business-like name. Katie sounds like fluffy bunnies and twee crap, a name which no one over the age of 13 should be called.

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

wonder if Christ was known as Young Jeezy at school.

and then perhaps there's Big Mo...

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Cutty, I have a friend named Laurel who gets called LP. It rocks so much I'm jealous.

"If people call out "Kati" or "Katie" I think it's for them, and patently disregard it."

I can't distinguish the phonetic difference between these two names.

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Kate is a short, concise, elegant and business-like name. Katie sounds like fluffy bunnies

EXACTLY

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Retch.

Kati is a Finnish name which is actually pronounced differently than Katie.

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:16 (twenty years ago)

I like fluffy bunnies!

― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:16 (twenty years ago)

You should call yourself KT

― steal compass, drive north, disappear (tissp), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

business-like bunnies win (as it implies a rabbit wearing a sharp suit and carrying a laptop).

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Kit doesn't get much shorter tbh

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

xxpost

when did you reject fun?

is it more Cat-ee?

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

I did. WHEN I WAS 3 AND STILL LEARNING THE ALPHABET!

(x-post to TISSP!)

I think it's more Kah-teh. (Where is Tuomas when you need him?) But of course, everyone calls her Katie, too.

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:19 (twenty years ago)

I've been tempted to hail Lauren as L-Boogie at least once in the past.

you wouldn't be the first. also: l-train, l-dawg, l-pod.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

g-kit, y'all

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:22 (twenty years ago)

Kit doesn't get much shorter tbh
-- teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (kittenslikemil...) (webmail), Today 8:18 AM. (g-kit) (later)

yeah you get the opposite extendo nicknames.

i also get 'katarina' 'katarina witt' or 'miss witt' a lot. 'kapes' and 'kapers' too. i know a lot of geminis.

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:24 (twenty years ago)

yeah, like Kat calls me Mister Kitster sometimes. that's pretty extendo. but she's allowed, we can't get much more matey.

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

My mum calls me Katrina. Or ::shudders:: Katrinakins. If she wasn't my mum, I would disembowel her for that.

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

People still remember Katerina Witt? That's cool.

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

slavic nicknames seem to be longer than the actual name. my grandmother called me laurenka. my friend ilona was ilonechka to her extended family.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:27 (twenty years ago)

actually, i keep forgetting that gregkitten is a nickname and not my actual name. fs, yeah.

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:28 (twenty years ago)

you wouldn't be the first. also: l-train, l-dawg, l-pod

yup, g-dawg, g-man, g-child, g-kiosk, i get all these

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:30 (twenty years ago)

g-kiosk being the best.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

wtf i don't get any of that

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

yup, g-dawg, g-man, g-child, g-kiosk, i get all these

but it's only you using them ;)

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:38 (twenty years ago)

nobody calls you g-kit?

― teh_kit!!1 has 5 friends (g-kit), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:39 (twenty years ago)

okay this is weird. my co-wrkers refuse to call me mandee and still call me amanda. so its like the opposite.

they clearly want me out of their lives.

― POOP BITCH (Mandee), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:41 (twenty years ago)

You're all amazingly anal about what people call you. I'm happy for people to call me whatever they feel most comfortable with.

― James/Jamie/Jim/Jimmy/Jimbo/Jimster/J., Friday, 31 March 2006 13:44 (twenty years ago)

"g-kiosk" !!

― sleep (sleep), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:44 (twenty years ago)

jimmy jam jam is at one with mankind

― sunny successor (katharine), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

sure is, katty-kit-kath-shabadoo

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:49 (twenty years ago)

i miss ktee on ilx :-(

hey jimmy jam jam, say hello to terry lewis lewis next time you see him.

one cannot let this thread pass without obligatory acknowledgement of tarby, brucie, lynchie, sean conneryy, russ abboty, general pinochety, all my great showbiz chums, on the green, filthy rich and catflap etc.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 31 March 2006 13:53 (twenty years ago)

People must've done this to me at one point without me minding. I was called James until I was about 10. Then I think I actually went through a phase, which could've lasted 6 months of a year, where my friends mostly called me Jimbo, bizarrely. And then that got shortened to Jim at secondary school, and it stuck, and it suits me, and I'm definitely much happier with it than I'd be with James. But, you know, this all happened without any input from me.

I guess I do have quite a bad habit of doing it to other people too though. I used to work in a six person team where each of us developed our own individual set of five diminutive names for the other five members, and that was cute and fun, and is probably where I started doing it. I definitely do it with workmates more than with friends too. But in my defence, I don't do it until I've known the person in question for a while and it's established that we like each other, so hopefully it doesn't come across as fake matinees.

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 31 March 2006 14:01 (twenty years ago)

/me sits quietly and hopes no one will notice....

― Laurel (Laurel), Friday, 31 March 2006 14:02 (twenty years ago)

I get called 'Parts' in bloody commissioning emails from this one editor. I don't think she's even called me that when we've met face to face. Her predecessor used to call me 'Party'. It must be something to do with call centre magazine editor, but it is mighty strange all the same. I know that's a pun on my surname, but I reckon it still counts, non?

― Nobodys Prawn (Nobodysprawn), Friday, 31 March 2006 14:18 (twenty years ago)

Well, you are the life of the Party, Prawn, so I'd take it as a compliment?

― STOP! Time Thief! (kate), Friday, 31 March 2006 14:32 (twenty years ago)

Am never, ever, going to another party again. Gatherings, yes, launches, yes, festivals, yes, but not parties. I'm the death of the party more like (cheers Blur!). Oh, and I like being called Hells Bells. It's ridiculously girly but when this Mackem blokey mate of mine says it, it's really ooooooohh nice.

― Nobodys Prawn (Nobodysprawn), Friday, 31 March 2006 14:45 (twenty years ago)

g-dawg, g-man, g-child, g-kiosk, i get all these

g-mo?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 31 March 2006 15:01 (twenty years ago)

Dadaismus, this woman has a rich fanatsy life that revolves around her in a tight little orbit.

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 31 March 2006 17:13 (twenty years ago)

Ah, you must be the Freudian I asked for earlier in the thread.

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Friday, 31 March 2006 17:20 (twenty years ago)

"people who call me al get ignored. lots of people have tried. idiots."

"And then this mornin... you called me Clyde... Alex is the name that I go by-y-y-y-y....."

― JTS (JTS), Friday, 31 March 2006 21:45 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.