Nickname

A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name (for example, Tom is short for Thomas). As a concept, it is distinct from both pseudonym and stage name, although there may be overlap in these concepts. A nickname is sometimes considered desirable, symbolising a form of acceptance, but can often be a form of ridicule. Many artists and actors have nicknames, which in years past were called a stage name. A person's online nickname may also be known as his handle, especially within hacker culture.

Etymology: In Middle English the word was ekename (from the verb to eke, "enlarge"; compare Swedish öknamn). Later, an ekename developed into a nickname when the "n" shifted through junctural metanalysis.

In Viking societies, many people had nicknames heiti, viðrnefni or uppnefi which were used in addition to, or instead of their family names. In some circumstances the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal ceremony and an exchange of gifts.

Nicknames for people

Types of personal nickname: Also known as pet name, shortened name, truncated name, alternate name, name derivative, associated name, hypocoristic form of a name, diminutized name, or diminuted name. Sometimes related to "alias."

Relating to given names

1. A nickname may be a hypocoristic form of a person's first name. This is often a simple abbreviation of the name. For most English names the shortened form is taken from the first syllable e.g. Walt for Walter. However in many other languages it is much more common to use the last syllable of the whole name e.g. Italian Nino for Giovanni (via Giovannino, which is a diminutive form of Giovanni). Some abbreviations can use the middle of a word e.g. Liz for Elizabeth. There are a few names for which an archaic pronunciation of the full name is preserved in the short name e.g. Rick for Richard indicates that the -ch- was originally pronounced as -ck-. Some other nicknames were created by rhyming the shortened form of the full name, such as Ted or Ned for Edward (Ed), Bill for William (Will), and Bob or Nob for Robert (Rob). For those abbreviations that do not begin with the same letter as the full name, see list of short name forms. Examples:

Many of these names are also registered as formal birth names.

2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples:

3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples:

4. A nickname may reflect a national or cultural style. In the United States, for instance, rhyming contractions or plays on a person's name are common, as in:

• Flo-Jo Florence Griffith Joyner
• Ho-Jo, any person named Howard Johnson or the chain of hotels with the same name
• J-Lo Jennifer Lopez
• A-Rod Alex Rodriguez

Calling a person by their initials is also common.

5. Nicknames, whatever their original basis, may become cultural norms. 'Sis', (slang for 'sister') for example, is often picked up and used by all the members of a family, their friends and society at large. Similarly, 'Chip' (off the old block) and 'Junior' can be used for any youngster and the nickname may follow the person into adulthood.

Relating to culture/nationality

6. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin.

Main article: Offensive terms per nationality

Examples:

• Aussie for an Australian
• Beaner for a Mexican (Offensive, used in the USA)
• Bonians or Frog for a Frenchman (Offensive, used by English Navy during 19th century against Napoleon Bonaparte's Navy, mainly used by Britons)
• Canuck for a person from Canada
• Caper for a person from Cape Breton island in the province of Nova Scotia.
• Fag for a homosexual (derogatory, usually refers to male homosexuals, more commonly used for cigarettes in the UK)
• Geordie for a person from Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Jap for a person from Japan (offensive, used around World War II)
• Chink for a person of Chinese or other East Asian descent (offensive, normally used by Britons)
• Dyke for a female homosexual (derogatory)
• Kimchi for a person from Korea
• Kiwi for a New Zealander
• Kraut for a German (offensive, used since World War II)
• Keling for an Indian (offensive)
• Charlie for a Vietcong (mainly used around Vietnam War)
• Harp for an Irish person.
• Hong Kee for a Hongkonger (Used by some Malaysians and Singaporeans)
• Indon(s)For an Indonesian (used by Malaysians)
• Limey for an English person (U.S. usage); Pom or Pommy (Australian usage)
• Mac or Jock for a Scottish person
• 'Mank' for someone from Manchester, UK
• Mainlander for a person from The People's Republic of China, to distinguish them from Hongkonger or Taiwanese of Han Chinese ethnicity. Mainly used amoungst Asians.
• Mick for an Irish or Catholic person. (offensive)
• Paddy for an Irish person.
• Pinoy (or Noypi) for Filipino person
• Polak, Pollok or Pollack for a person from Poland
• Pommy for an English person.
• Newfie for a person from Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nigger for a person of African descent (derogatory, particularly if said by a person of non-African descent)
• Queb' for a person from the province of Quebec
• Scouser for a person from Liverpool
• Reds for a communist person, especially for one from the Soviet Union
• Taff for a Welsh person
• Ruskies for a Russian
• 'Seppo' for a person from the United States - Australian slang, orig. British rhyming slang. (Seppo - Septic - Septic Tank - Yank.)
• Tex for a person from Texas
• Tit for a person with a small brain
• Wack for a person from Liverpool (obsolete)
• Wog for a Westernised Oriental Gentleman, also a southern European (usually Italian or Greek)- Australian usage.
• Yank or Yankee for a person from the United States, particularly those Americans from the U.S. Northeast (if used by someone from the U.S. South, the term is intended to be pejorative).

Relating to personal characteristics

7. A nickname may relate to the person's occupation. Examples:

• Chips for a carpenter
• Sparky or Sparks for an electrician or radio operator
• Chief for a boss

8. It may reference a person's physical characteristics. Examples:

• Baldy or Curly (ironic) for a bald person
• Tubby or Chubby for a fat person
• Lofty or Stretch for a tall person
• Four-eyes for a person with glasses (offensive)
• Specs for a person who wears glasses
• Carrot, Carrot Top, Red, Rusty or Firecrotch for a person with red hair
• Blondie for a person with blond hair
• Grey for a person who has a very Light Blue eye color, also called the Grey eye color.

It may be a sarcastic, or simply ironic, reference, e.g., Curly for someone with straight hair (or no hair at all) - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g:

• Blue for a person with red hair
• Tiny for a very large person
• Dulz for a cross eyed person (offensive)
• Shorty for a very tall person
• Slick for a clumsy, awkward or shy person
• Slim for a fat person

9. It may relate to a person's character, imagined or real. Examples:

• Grumpy
• Swotty
• Romeo

10. It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali and Comical Ali. Many fictional characters have nicknames relating to events: Examples include the Red Comet, White Tiger, Desert Tiger and Hawk of Endymion.

11. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples:

• Napoleon or Hitler for someone with a dictatorial manner

12. It may be related to their place of origin or place of residence. Examples:

• Gloucester, Paul from Gloucester or PFG for someone named Paul who comes from a town called Gloucester.
• Robin Hood (Robin of Hood), a famous fictional character.

13. It may reference a person's political affiliation. Examples:

• Dipper for a member of Canada's NDP Party.
• Tory for a person affiliated with Great Britain's Conservative Party

Others

14. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them:

• Tippecanoe for William Henry Harrison
• Dubya for George W. Bush. Dubya is from the Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial.
• Jack The Dripper for painter Jackson Pollock who created many of his works by dripping paint over horizontal canvas

15. A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Harold" may be nicknamed "Fred" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" to avoid confusion.

Cities

Nicknames of geographical places

See also: list of city nicknames for a more comprehensive list.

• Heart of America (It's in the Heart of America), City of Fountains (It has the most public fountains of any U.S. city), & the Emerald City(After the 1939 Film) - Kansas City, KS & MO
• The Big Sweet Grass Basket, The Palmetto City, The Holy City, The Big C-H-S, The Marina City & Chucktown - Charleston, South Carolina
• Charm City - Baltimore, Maryland
• The Big Apple - New York, New York
• "The Windy City", "Chi-Town", "Second City", "City of Big Shoulders", and "Hog-Butcher To The World" - Chicago, Illinois. (These last two are from the poem by Carl Sandburg; see also Nicknames for Chicago.)
• The Forest City - Cleveland, Ohio and London, Ontario
• The Big Easy - New Orleans, Louisiana
• Space City, Bayou City, H-Town, Oil Capital of the World - Houston, Texas
• The Holy City - Charleston, South Carolina
• Hotlanta/ATL/A-Town/The A - Atlanta, Georgia
• The Circle City, Indy, Nap Town (popular slang) - Indianapolis, Indiana
• Bluff City, City of Churches, Blues City,M-Town, The M - Memphis, Tennessee
• The Magic City - Birmingham, Alabama
• Mill City, City of Lakes, Twin_Cities - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Motor City, De-twah (Mostly used by Michiganders), D-Town - Detroit, Michigan
• Music CityCashville - Nashville, Tennessee
• The Big Smoke - London, United Kingdom, also Toronto, Canada
• "Hogtown", "T-Dot"; and Centre of the Universe - Toronto, Canada, often used negatively by Canadians who live outside of Toronto due to the fact that the city is one of the financial and cultural hubs of Canada and that there is a perceived bias towards Toronto by the Canadian media and its Prime Minister
• "The Hammer", "Hammertown" or "Steeltown" - Hamilton, Ontario
• Van City - Vancouver, British Columbia
• Beantown, The Hub - Boston, Massachusetts
• City of Angels - Los Angeles, California
• Pearl of the Orient - Hong Kong and Manila both claim this nickname.
• Queen City of the South - Cebu City, Philippines
• Steel City - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The Emerald City - Seattle, Washington
• The Ingrown Empire - pejorative slang for the Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest) Spokane, Washington
• Crossroad of the Pacific - Honolulu, Hawaii
• The City of Lights and Flowers - Anchorage, Alaska
• Harbour City Sydney, Australia
• Winterpeg or "The Peg" - Winnipeg, Canada Due to the city's extremely cold weather and the idea that Winnipeg is the geographic centre of Canada.
• The Bridge City, The Hub City - Saskatoon, Canada due to Saskatoon having many bridges relative to its population and being the "hub" along many provincial highways, with convenient routes to other centres in the province and beyond.
• J-Ville, "Where Florida Begins" - Jacksonville, Florida
• Big D - Dallas, Texas
• BK/BX- Boroughs in New York City Brooklyn, New York and Bronx, New York
• "T-Town" - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• "Vah-Beach" - Virginia Beach, Virginia
• The Rocket City - Huntsville, Alabama
• Peanut Capital of the World - Dothan, Alabama

Countries

• The Great White North - Canada
• The Land Down Under,Oz - Australia
• The Land of the Long White Cloud - New Zealand
• L'hexagone (The Hexagon) - France
• The Fine Country - Singapore - Often in a sarcastic or satirical manner, as to playfully describe the law enforcement of Singapore as corruption-free and highly efficient; however, the island nation is also widely accepted has been imposing high fines to minor offences such as littering with such high effienciency that granted such nickname to the nation.
• The Land of the Rising Sun - Japan
• The Pearl of the Orient Seas - Philippines
• Da Lu (mainland - lit. 'Big Land') - mainland China
• The States, America, Land of the Free, Jesusland - United States (Jesusland is mostly the United States [1])
• The Emerald Isle - Ireland
• Blighty - Great Britain
• The Lucky Country - Australia

Regions

• The Wet Coast - British Columbia, Canada; a play on "The West Coast" because that area of the country rains a lot
• The Dirty South (usually the South Eastern States but not limited to the whole Old South)
• The Left Coast - Washington, Oregon, and California, United States; due to their location in the country and general support of "the left" (liberal political ideology).
• Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe (Spanish: Puente del Mundo, Corazón del Universo) - Republic of Panama; due to the convergence of the principal trade routes through its Panama Canal

Nicknames for political terms

• Red - a communist, but can also mean a rebel who is against the government; inclining towards the left wing politically, as in a "Red Tory" in Canada, that is, a moderate conservative; also, ironically, a member or supporter of the United States Republican Party
• Blue - a member or supporter of the United States Democratic Party; a supporter of the Conservatives in Canada -- and a "Blue Tory" is a right wing conservative
• Pinko - a borderline communist
• Hawk - a person who supports and pursues aggressive foreign policies, such as going to war in order to achieve his/her goals
• Dove - a person who supports and pursues peaceful means to conduct foreign policy, as opposed to war
• Skinhead - a neo-Nazi or a white supremacist
• Tory - a person belonging to the Conservative Party in Britain and Canada
• Grit - a person belonging to the Liberal Party in Canada
• The Little Red Book - the book that contains quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, often called that because the book itself has a red cover and small enough to fit into a pocket

Nicknames for some common items

• boob tube, idiot box, telly, TV, goggle-box (UK) - television
• bug or VW bug - Volkswagen Beetle
• head - toilet on a ship
• loo, john, potty, bog - toilet
• Old Glory - the Flag of the United States

Nicknames for professions

• Blue - referee (Southern US)
• Beancounter - accountant
• Chippie, Wood Butcher - carpenter
• Copper, Bobby, The Fuzz (plural), Cop, Pig/Bacon (usually a plural), Flatfoot, Blueboy, Po-po - police officer
• Doc, Sawbones, Quack - doctor
• Fed - agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Foodie - chef
• Geo - geologist or geophysicist
• Loan Shark - a loan salesman
• Roomie - hotel employee
• Roughneck - oil rigger
• Sawbones - surgeon
• Shark, Ambulance Chaser, Shyster - lawyer
• Shovelbums - archaeological field technicians
• Shrink - psychiatrist
• Spook (usually a plural) - (U.S. military) intelligence agent

Nicknames for companies

• "Big Blue" - IBM, computer hardware/software manufacturer
• "Bloblaws" or "Blah-Blahs" - Loblaws, Canadian supermarket chain
• "BK Lounge" - Burger King, global fast-food chain
• "Crapple" - Apple Computers, a good computer and software manufacturer
• "Gold Mansacks" - Goldman Sachs, investment banking firm
• "Great Yellow Father" - Eastman Kodak
• "Jacques Penné" - JCPenney clothing stores
• "K-Fry" or "K-Fried" - KFC, American fried chicken restaurant chain
• "The Little Thief" - Little Chef, UK roadside restaurant
• "Lose-It" - Loomis, Canadian courier company
• "Ma Bell" - AT&T, American telephone company
• "Mickey D's", "McDogchow", "McDick's", "McConvicts", "MacDo" mainly in France, though former usage common in Australia in addition to Australian "Macca's" - McDonald's, global fast-food chain
• "Monkey Ward" - Montgomery Wards Department Store chain
• "M$," "Micro$loth," "Micro$haft" or "The Borg" - Microsoft, American software company
• "Mothercorp" - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian national broadcaster
• "OOPS" - UPS, American courier service
• "Pizza Slut", "Pizza Smut" - Pizza Hut, Global pizza chain
• "Rotten Ron's" - McDonald's, global fast-food chain
• "Scan dick", "Scandalic" - Scandic
• "Skandial" - Skandia
• "Sooner-or-Later" - Purolator, Canadian courier company
• "Tar-Get" ("Get" pronounced "zhay")- Target retail store chain.
• "Timmy's," "Tim's" or "Timmy Ho's" - Tim Hortons, Canadian coffee and doughnut chain
• "Taco Hell", "Toxic Hell" - Taco Bell fast-food restaurant chain
• "Wally World" - Wal-Mart, global chain of retail stores.
• "Office Despot" - Office Depot, chain of office supply stores.

Nicknames for universities

• "Ikey" for student from University of Cape Town, South Africa
• "Matie" for student from University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
• "The U" for University of Miami Football Program, University of Utah, University of Minnesota

Military nicknames

• G.I. - American soldier (short for Government Issue or General Infantry)
• Dogface, gopher, grunt, cannon fodder, Bullet Stopper, Bushwacker, 11 Bang-Bang, 11 "Bravo" Infantard - infantry soldier
• D-boys, Delta boys, Deltas - Delta Force
• Zipperhead - armoured soldier
• Gunbunny - artillery soldier
• Matelots, squids, swabies, deck ape, deck monkey - sailors
• Frogs - Navy Seals
• Leathernecks, jarheads, devil dogs - U.S. marines
• Puddle jumpers, shallow water sailors, weekend navy, puddle pirates, Gilligans - United States Coast Guard
• Chairforce, Flyboys - United States Air Force
• Blue job, wallet head - Canadian Air Force
• Blanket Stacker - members of Logistics or Engineering units
• Bin rat - Supply technician, Canadian Forces
• Redcap - British Military Police officer
• Floating Heads and Diggers - Australian Army Soldiers
• Biggles - Australian Air Force Pilot
• Raffies - Australian Air Force Personnel
• American Marine, Air Force, and Army Firefighters, Fire Dawgs
• Pongos - British Army, Australian Army (As in 'Where ever the army goes, the pong goes')
• Crab fats, crabs - Members of the Royal Air Force

See also: List of nicknames of British Army regiments; Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces

Sports clubs and their nicknames

Sporting clubs are often given nicknames. These may or may not be incorporated into official names or be used by the club. The names of animals or colours are popular. Examples:

Football (soccer)

Australian Rules Football

See also List of nicknames used in Australian rules

Rugby Union

• Baa-Baas - Barbarian F.C.
• All Blacks - New Zealand national team
• Les Bleus - France national team
• 'Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles) - Tonga national team
• Leicester Tigers - Leicester Rugby Football Club
• Lelos - Georgia national team
• Manu Samoa - Samoa national team
• Los Pumas - Argentina national team
• Springboks - South Africa national team
• Wobblies - Australia national team

Baseball

• Arizona Diamondbacks - D-backs
• Atlanta Braves - Bravos, America's Team
• Baltimore Orioles - O's, Birds
• Boston Red Sox- BoSox; Carmines; New England Nine; Olde Towne Team; Red Sux (by haters)
• Chicago Cubs - Cubbies; Loveable Losers; Scrubs; Dubs; Northsiders; Build-a-Bears (by haters).
• Chicago White Sox - ChiSox; "Da Sox"; Pale Hose; Southsiders; Black Sox (during the 1919 World Series); White Sux (by haters), Sox Suxs (by haters who think "White Sux" is offensive).
• Cincinnati Reds - Redlegs; nicknamed "The Big Red Machine" during the team's run in the 1970's, when they won the division 6 times and appeared in the World Series 4 times
• Cleveland Indians - The Tribe
• Detroit Tigers - The Motor City Kitties
• Florida Marlins - Fish; Fighting Fish; The Men of Teal
• Houston Astros - 'Stros
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - Halos; Seraphs
• Los Angeles Dodgers - Bums (from their Brooklyn days; usage in L.A. has faded with time)
• Milwaukee Brewers - Brew Crew; Brew-has; Proffessional Alcoholics (by haters)
• Minnesota Twins - Twinkies
• New York Mets - nicknamed "The Loveable Losers" when they first started playing, the Kings of Queens; The Amazin' Mets
• New York Yankees - The Bronx Bombers; The Pinstripes; Yanks; Dream Dashers; Evil empire (by haters).
• Oakland Athletics - A's; F's (by haters, in reference to grades in school)
• Pittsburgh Pirates - Bucs; Buc-o's
• Philadelphia Phillies - Fightin'; Phils; Philthies; Sillies
• St. Louis Cardinals - Cards; Redbirds
• San Diego Padres - Pods; Friars
• San Francisco Giants - Jints (rhymes with "pints"); gigantes (Gee-gant-As) which is spanish for Giant
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays - D-rays; Rays
• Washington Nationals- Nats

NBA Basketball

• Wolves, T-Wolves - Minnesota Timberwolves
• Knickerbockers - New York Knicks
• Blazers- Portland Trailblazers
• Mavs - Dallas Mavericks
• Sixers - Philadelphia 76ers
• Sonics, or Supe's, or Hedgehogs - Seattle SuperSonics
• Canada's Team, Raps - Toronto Raptors
• Cavs - Cleveland Cavaliers
• The Celts - Boston Celtics

International Basketball

• Gli Azzurri - Italy national team
• Les Bleus - France national team
• Boomers - Australian national team
• Tall Blacks - New Zealand national team

Cricket

Main article: List of nicknames used in cricket

American Football

• Atlanta Falcons - The Dirty Birds
• Carolina Panthers - Cardiac Cats (Due to winning/losing many games in the closing seconds during the 2003 season)
• Chicago Bears - Da Bears; Monsters of the Midway, Build-a-Bears (by haters)
• Cleveland Browns - Dawgs (from the Dawg Pound, a famously rowdy bleacher section of the team's former home, Cleveland Stadium, since transferred to today's Cleveland Browns Stadium), The Brownies, The Turds (by haters)
• Cincinnati Bengals - The Bungles (applied when the team plays poorly)
• Dallas Cowboys - America's Team, Cowgirls (when playing poorly), Cryboys (by haters)
• Denver Broncos - Orange Crush
• Green Bay Packers - The Pack, The Peckers (by haters), Fudgepackers (by haters)
• Houston Texans - Procrastinators (when playing poorly)
• Indianapolis Colts - The Blue Crew, The Herd, The Dolts (by haters)
• Jacksonville Jaguars - Jags
• Kansas City Chiefs - The Chefs
• Miami Dolphins - Fins, The Fish
• Minnesota Vikings - Vikes, Vi-queens (when playing poorly)
• New England Patriots - Pats, The Patsies, Patty Cakes
• New Orleans Saints - Ain'ts (when playing poorly), Sinners (also when playing poorly), The San Antonio Saints (because they might move to San Antonio)
• New York Giants - G-Men, Jints, Big Blue, Big Blue Wrecking Crew, New York Football Giants (Made Popular by Chris Berman)
• Oakland Raiders - The Silver and Black, Da Raidahs, The Faders
• Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steel Curtain (in their glory years of the 1970s, has been resurrected due to their recent success), The Black and Gold, The Stillers, Shitsburgh (by haters)
• Saint Louis Rams - Rammers, Lambs, Goats (when playing poorly)
• San Diego Chargers - Bolts (from the lightning bolt design on their helmets)
• San Francisco 49ers - 'Niners, The Whiners
• Seattle Seahawks - Hawks
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Bucs
• Tennessee Titans - The Thumbtacks, The Flaming Thumbtacks, The Oilers
• Washington Redskins - 'Skins, The Chesapeake Watershed Region Indigenous Persons, The Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons, DeadSkins (by haters)

Canadian Football

• Calgary Stampeders - Stamps
• Edmonton Eskimos - Esks
• Hamilton Tiger-Cats - Ti-Cats
• Montreal Alouettes - Als
• Saskatchewan Roughriders - Riders
• Toronto Argonauts - Argos; Boatmen (team was founded by the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club in 1873)
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Bombers

Hockey

• Mighty Ducks of Anaheim - Ducks
• Carolina Hurricanes - Canes, Katrina's Team (in reference to Hurricane Katrina)
• Chicago Blackhawks - Hawks
• Colorado Avalanche- Avs
• Detroit Red Wings - Wings
• Edmonton Oilers - Billy's Boys (after William "Wild Bill" Hunter, founder of the World Hockey Association and the team's predecessor, the Alberta Oilers
• Florida Panthers - the Cats
• Montreal Canadiens - Habs (short for "Habitant", or Québecois farmer) or Crabs or les Crabs (by the haters); Flying Frenchmen; Les Rouges (after the red colour of their jerseys); Le Bleu,Blanc,Rouge (the three colours of the logo); Le Tricolore; La Sainte Flanelle
• Nashville Predators - Preds
• New York Islanders - Isles
• New York Rangers - the Blueshirts or Broadway Blueshirts
• Ottawa Senators - Sens
• Philadelphia Flyers - nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies" during the team's Stanley Cup runs during the 1970's (the Spectrum, the arena where the Flyers then played, is on Broad Street in South Philadelphia)
• Pittsburgh Penguins - Pens
• St Louis Blues - Blue notes (re-pluralize the singular Blue note used for one player)
• Tampa Bay Lightning - the Bolts
• Toronto Maple Leafs - Leafs, Blue Leafers, the Buds (nickname bestowed by sportswriters, probably based on the team's use of a leaf as a logo), Maple Lafs (by the haters)
• Vancouver Canucks - 'Nucks
• Washington Capitals - Caps, Crapitals (by haters)
• Winnipeg Jets - Jets (nicknamed the Jets after aqcuiring Bobby Hull "The Golden Jet" as a part of the World Hockey Association)
• Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) - Swedish national team, after the three crowns in their jersey, referring to the three wise men of The Bible
• Leijonat (Lions) - Finnish national team, after the lion in their jersey, which is from the coat of arms of Finland. Also Leijonapaidat (Lion Shirts) and Kiekkoleijonat (Hockey Lions)

Sports stadia and their nicknames

Australia

• Melbourne Cricket Ground - the 'G
• Woolongabba Cricket Ground - the 'Gabba
• Subiaco Oval - Subi'

South America

• Boca Juniors Stadium - La Bombonera (The Chocolate Box)
• River Plate Stadium - El Monumental

Britain

• Wembley Stadium - The Twin Towers (now extinct)

United States

• Chase Field (formerly known as Bank One Ballpark) - The BOB
• HP Pavilion - The Shark Tank, The Tank
• Oriole Park at Camden Yards - The Yard, Oriole Park, Camden Yards
• Tropicana Field - The Trop, The Juicer
• U.S. Cellular Field - The Cell
• Wachovia Center - (when known as the First Union Center) F.U. Center
• Wrigley Field - The Friendly Confines
• Yankee Stadium - The House that Ruth Built
• Turner Field - The Ted
• Angel Stadium of Anaheim - The Big A, The Big Ed(when Edison International Field)
• Legion Field - Old Gray Lady

See also