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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
A '''sobriquet''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|oʊ|b|r|ɨ|k|eɪ}}{{respell|SOH|bri-kay}}) is a [[nickname]], sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a [[pseudonym]] assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation. This salient characteristic is of sufficient familiarity that the sobriquet can become more familiar than the original name.
{{short description|Assumed or given nickname}}
For example, [[Genghis Khan]], who is rarely recognized now by his original name, Temüjin; or Mohandas Gandhi who is better known as [[Mahatma Gandhi]]. Well known places often have sobriquets, such as [[New York City]], often referred to as the Big Apple. The term can therefore apply to the nickname for a specific person, group of people or even a place.
{{sources|date=February 2024}}


A '''sobriquet''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|oʊ|b|r|ɪ|ˌ|k|eɪ|,_|ˌ|s|oʊ|b|r|ɪ|ˈ|k|eɪ}} {{respell|SOH|brih|kay|,_|-|KAY}}) is a descriptive [[nickname]], sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a [[pseudonym]] in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may become more familiar than the original name.
== Etymology ==
Two early variants of the term are found, ''sotbriquet'' and ''soubriquet''; the latter form is still often used. The modern [[French language|French]] spelling is ''sobriquet''. The first form suggests derivation from ''sot'', foolish, and the second form, ''briquet'', is a French adaptation of Italian ''brichetto'', diminutive of ''bricco'', ass, knave, possibly connected with ''briccone'', rogue, which is supposed to be a derivative of [[German language|Ger.]] ''brechen'', to break; but [[Walter William Skeat|Skeat]] considers this spelling to be an example of [[false etymology]]. The real origin is to be sought in the form ''soubriquet''.


Examples are [[Genghis Khan]], who is rarely recognized by his name Temüjin ("Genghis Khan" means "universal ruler" in [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]); and Mohandas Gandhi, who is better known as [[Mahatma Gandhi]] ("mahatma" means "great soul" in [[Sanskrit]]).
[[Émile Littré|Littré]] gives an early fourteenth century ''soubsbriquet'' as meaning a chuck under the chin, and this would be derived from ''soubs'', mod. ''sous'' ([[Latin|Lat.]] ''sub''), under, and ''briquet'' or ''bruchel'', the brisket, or lower part of the throat.


The term ''sobriquet'' is equally applicable as a name for a person, group of people, historical event, or place. Well-known places often have sobriquets, such as [[New York City]], often called the "[[Big Apple]]", or [[Rome]], the "Eternal City" , or [[Vienna]], the "[[Golden apple|Golden Apple]]".
== Use ==
Sobriquets are often found in music, sports and politics. Candidates and political figures are often branded with sobriquets, either while living or posthumously. For example, [[President of the United States]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] came to be known as [[Honest Abe]]. Sobriquets are not necessarily complimentary. A banking [[tycoon]] and politician from [[Knoxville, Tennessee]] named [[Jake Butcher]] was known as "Jake the Snake" after being [[indictment|indicted]] and subsequently convicted for bank fraud.{{fact|date=February 2013}}


== Etymology ==
''[[Fowler's Modern English Usage]]'' (1926) warned, "Now the sobriquet habit is not a thing to be acquired, but a thing to be avoided; & the selection that follows is compiled for the purpose not of assisting but of discouraging it." Fowler included the sobriquet among what he termed the "battered ornaments" of the language, but opinion on their use varies. Sobriquets remain a common feature of speech today.
The modern French and English spelling is {{lang|fr|sobriquet}}.<ref name="etymonline" /> Two earlier variants are {{lang|fr|soubriquet}} and {{lang|fr|sotbriquet}}. The first variant, "soubriquet" dates from the 15th century and is rarely used now, in English or French.<ref name="etymonline">{{cite web |title=sobriquet {{!}} Etymology of sobriquet |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/sobriquet |website=www.etymonline.com |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="CNRTLfr" />


The early 14th-century ''soubzsbriquez'' meant a "little blow under the chin", also described as a chuck under the chin; this was derived from ''soubs'', mod. ''sous'' ({{langx|la|sub}}), under.<ref name="CNRTLfr" />
==Examples==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2008}}
{{Dynamic list}}


=== A–C ===
== Usage ==
Sobriquets are "a form of identification that goes beyond a traditional name and offers insight into a person’s character, appearance, profession, or any other distinguishing feature".<ref name="usage">{{cite web |last1=Manaher |first1=Shawn |title=How and When To Use "Sobriquet" |date=2023 |url=https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/how-to-use-sobriquet-in-a-sentence |website=The Content Authority |access-date=24 February 2024}}</ref> They are used in politics, music, literature and for royalty, celebrities, and athletes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Epithet: Definition and Examples {{!}} LiteraryTerms.net |url=https://literaryterms.net/epithet/ |website=Literary Terms |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en |date=9 September 2015}}</ref>
* The Angel of Death/Der Todesengel – [[Josef Mengele]], Nazi war criminal.
* The Angelic Doctor - [[Thomas Aquinas]] <ref name = "Aquinas Profile">{{cite news |author= |title= 'St. Thomas Aquinas'|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm|work= |publisher= New Advent |date= |accessdate=2012-05-06 }}</ref>
* The Antipodes – Australia and New Zealand, close to the [[Antipodes]] of Great Britain
* The Athens of the North - [[Edinburgh]]
* The Athens of South America - [[Bogotá]]
* Auld Reekie - [[Edinburgh]], "Old Smokey" in the [[Scots language]]
* Auntie/Aunty – either the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] or the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]]
* Babe, The Great Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, The Titan of Terror, The Colossus of Clout, The King of Clash – [[Babe Ruth|George Herman Ruth, Jr.]], American [[baseball]] player
* Baghdad by the Bay—[[San Francisco]]
* [[Bangabandhu]] (Friend of Bengal) – [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]], 1st [[President of Bangladesh]]
* Banker to the Poor<ref name = "BBC Profile">{{cite news |author= |title= Profile: 'World banker to the poor'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6047234.stm |work= |publisher=BBC NEWS |date=2006-10-13 |accessdate=2006-10-16 }}</ref> - [[Muhammad Yunus]], 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Managing Director of [[Grameen Bank]].
* The Bard (of Avon) – [[William Shakespeare]]
* BasedGod - [[Lil B]]
* The Battleground/Battlefield/Cock-pit of Europe – [[Belgium]], or the whole area of the former [[United Netherlands]]
* The Bayou City – [[Houston, Texas]], USA
* Beantown – [[Boston, Massachusetts]], USA
* Becks - [[David Beckham]] English Footballer
* The Beeb – The [[British Broadcasting Corporation]]
* [[The Big Apple]] – New York City, New York, USA
* Big B - [[Amitabh Bachchan]] Bollywood actor
* The Big D – [[Dallas, Texas]], USA
* [[The Big Easy]] – [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]
* The Big Smoke – London, UK and by extension other large industrial cities including [[Toronto]], Canada.
* The Big Piece - [[Ryan Howard]], [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] First Baseman.<ref name=phillyBurbs>{{cite web|last=Berkery|first=Patrick|title=The Big Piece's big Game One: What does it mean?|url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/phillies/phils-ville/the-big-piece-s-big-game-one-what-does-it/article_87ddcab8-ed01-11e0-b72f-0019bb30f31a.html|work=phillyBurbs.com|accessdate=18 November 2011}}</ref>
* [[Big Stick Ideology|The Big Stick]] – [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s diplomatic policy
* The Big Unit - [[Randy Johnson]], Baseball Pitcher
* The Big Yin - [[Billy Connolly]], Scottish comedian.
* The Body - [[Elle Macpherson]], also [[Jesse Ventura]]
* Biggest Little City – [[Reno, Nevada]], USA, a small casino city.
* [[Biggie Smalls]] – [[The Notorious B.I.G.|Christopher Wallace]], American [[hip hop]] and [[rapper|rap singer]]
* The Bill - The [[William Webb Ellis]] Cup - trophy awarded to winners of the [[Rugby Union]] World Cup
* Bird (or Yardbird) – [[Charlie Parker]], jazz musician
* The Bird – [[Mark Fidrych]], Baseball pitcher
* Birdman – [[Chris Andersen]], US basketball player known for his trademark "bird" celebration.
* [[Blighty]] – Great Britain (used by British servicemen abroad and expatriates)
* The Black Mamba - Kobe Bryant, American basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers
* Bloody Mary – Queen [[Mary I of England]]
* Body Beautiful Beale/Little Edie - [[Edith Bouvier Beale]]
* Boney - [[Napoleon I|Napoléon Bonaparte]], a derogatory nickname used in Britain.
* [[Bonnie Prince Charlie]] – [[Charles Edward Stuart]] ("Bonnie" means handsome in the [[Scots Language]])
* [[Bono]] (or Bono Vox) – [[Paul Hewson]], singer with [[U2]]
* Bonzo/The Beast – [[John Bonham]], drummer with [[Led Zeppelin]]
* Boom Boom Afridi – [[Shahid Afridi]], Pakistani Cricketer known for his aggressive batting style.
* The Boss – [[Bruce Springsteen]], US musician
* The Boston Strangler – [[Albert DeSalvo]]
* [[Brangelina]] – [[Brad Pitt]] and [[Angelina Jolie]], a [[portmanteau]] name used by news media to refer to the couple.
* [[Brat Pack (actors)|Brat Pack]] – group of young actors and actresses who starred in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s (by extension from "The Rat Pack" mentioned below).
* Brew City – [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], famous for its beer production
* [[Brisvegas]] – [[Brisbane]], [[Queensland, Australia]]
* [[Broadway Joe]] – [[Joe Namath]], [[American Football League (1960)|AFL]]/[[National Football League|NFL]] [[American Football]] player
* [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] – [[Siddhartha Gautama]]
* [[Buffalo Bill Cody|Buffalo Bill]] – American frontier showman William Frederick Cody
* [[Charles "Buffalo" Jones|Buffalo Jones]] – Kansas frontiersman Charles "Buffalo" Jones
* [[Caligula]] - Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
* [[Chemical Ali]] – [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]], minister in [[Saddam Hussein]]'s government held responsible for the use of chemical weapons at [[Halabja]].
* [[Christ]] - [[Jesus]] of Nazareth
* [[Comical Ali]] – [[Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf]], [[Iraq]]i Information Minister during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 US invasion]]; also known as [[Baghdad Bob]]. Became a minor celebrity in the west for his unflagging optimism and increasingly grandiose announcements.
* Chosin Few – Survivors of [[Korean War]] Battle of [[Chosin Reservoir]]
* The City - the [[City of London]], as central business district of London and by [[metonymy|extension]] the UK financial industry in general.
* The City (or The City by the Bay) – [[San Francisco]]
* The City Beautiful - [[Coral Gables, Florida]]
* The City Care Forgot - [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]
* The City of Angels/L.A. - [[Los Angeles]]
* [[The City of Brotherly Love]] – [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]<ref>{{cite web|title=4c. City of Brotherly Love — Philadelphia|url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/4c.asp|work=ushistory.org|accessdate=18 November 2011}}</ref>
* The City of Light - Paris (La Ville-Lumière in French). Also [[Perth, Western Australia]] which lit all its streetlights for the passage of astronaut [[John Glenn]] in 1962.
* The City of Medicine - [[Durham, North Carolina]]
* The City of Palaces – [[Kolkata]], India
* The City of Joy - [[Kolkata]], India
* The City so Nice They Named It Twice – New York City, also attributed to [[Walla Walla, Washington]]
* The Coat Hanger - [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]
* [[Columbia (name)|Columbia]] – The United States or The [[Americas]], poetic name
* The Continent - [[Continental Europe]], generally used by British people
* Cowtown - The City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada


Candidates for public office and political figures may be described with sobriquets, while living or posthumously. For example, [[president of the United States]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] was called "Honest Abe".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Howe |first1=Daniel W |title=Honest Abe: Abraham Lincoln and the Moral Character |url=https://www.fpri.org/article/2008/06/honest-abe-abraham-lincoln-and-the-moral-character/ |website=www.fpri.org |publisher=Foreign Policy Research Institute |access-date=24 February 2024 |location=Philadelphia |date=1 June 2008 |quote=Lincoln won his nickname “Honest Abe” while practicing law in the circuit courts of Illinois during the 1850s. Colleagues ranked him “at the head of his profession in the state” in part because of their absolute confidence that he never told a lie.}}</ref> An affectionate contemporary sobriquet for [[Ulysses S. Grant]] was the "American Sphinx" as a man of deeds rather than for verbal self-promotion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Provenance of the Ulysses S. Grant Papers |url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/ulysses-s-grant-papers/articles-and-essays/provenance-of-the-ulysses-s-grant-papers/ |website=www.loc.gov |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=24 February 2024 |location=Washington, D.C. |page=v |date=1965}}</ref>
=== D–G ===
* DC, The District – [[Washington, D.C.]]
* DF - [[Mexico City]], (Distrito Federal)
* The Dark Continent - Africa
* Diamond Dave – [[David Lee Roth]], Singer
* Digger – [[Australian]] soldier
* [[Dixie]], [[Dixieland]] – (from the [[Mason-Dixon Line]] of [[latitude]], the northern limit of legal [[slavery]]). The eleven Southern states that seceded and fought against the USA in the [[American Civil War]]: [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], [[Tennessee]], [[Texas]] and [[Virginia]]; still used affectionately by Southerners.
* The Don - Sir [[Donald Bradman]]
* The Donald - [[Donald Trump]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump</ref>
* Donnie Baseball - [[Don Mattingly]]
* Dr. Death – [[Jack Kevorkian]] proponent of [[assisted suicide]]
* [[Dr. J]] – [[Julius Erving]], Hall of Fame [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|title=Dr. J operated above the rest|url=http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014177.html|work=ESPN SportsCentury|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=18 November 2011}}</ref>
* The Dragon – China (as an economy)
* Dubya – [[George W. Bush]]
* Dullsville - [[Perth, Western Australia]]
* The Duke – [[John Wayne]]
* [[The Edge]] – [[David Howell Evans]], guitarist in the rock band [[U2]]
* The Elephant Man – [[Joseph Merrick]]
* The Emerald Isle – Ireland or [[Puerto Rico]]
* The Emerald City – [[Seattle]], Washington, USA
* The Enchanted Isle – (from 'la isla del encanto') [[Puerto Rico]]
* The Eternal City – Rome
* [[Fab Five (University of Michigan)|The Fab Five]] – 1991 [[University of Michigan]] men's basketball team.
* The Fab Four – [[The Beatles]]
* The Fastest Girl on Earth - [[Dorothy Levitt]]
* Father of his country – [[George Washington]]
* The [[Federal City]] – [[Washington, D.C.]]
* Foggy Bottom – the United States [[United States Department of State|State Department]], named for the Washington, D.C., neighborhood in which it is headquartered
* The [[Fourth Estate]] – [[journalists|the press]]
* [[Freddie Mercury]] - Farrokh Bulsara
* Frisco – San Francisco, [[California]]
* [[Garrincha]] – [[Manoel Francisco dos Santos]]
* [[Genghis Khan]] – Temüjin
* The Gherkin - [[30 St Mary Axe]]
* The Glimmer Twins – [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]], [[Rolling Stones]] originals members, they co-wrote most of the hits
* The Godfather of Soul – [[James Brown]]
* The Golden Bear – [[Jack Nicklaus]]
* Good Queen Bess - Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]]
* GOC or Gods' Own County - [[Yorkshire]]
* GOP ([[Grand Old Party]]) – [[Republican Party (United States)]]
* Gotham – [[New York]]
* The Governator – [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], 38th Governor of [[California]]
* The Grauniad - ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper, England (because of its formerly frequent typographical errors, such as an edition where the masthead was spelled ''The Gaurdian'')
* The Great Communicator – [[Ronald Reagan]], The 40th President of the United States of America
* The Great Compromiser - [[Henry Clay]], 19th century Kentucky statesman
* The Great Emancipator – [[Abraham Lincoln]], The 16th President of the United States of America
* The Great One – [[Wayne Gretzky]], [[World Hockey Association|WHA]]/[[National Hockey League|NHL]] hockey player
* The Great Orator - [[Daniel Webster]]
* The Great Triumvirate - [[Henry Clay]], [[John C. Calhoun]], and [[Daniel Webster]]
* The Great White North – Canada
* The Greatest – [[Muhammad Ali]] boxer<ref>""The Greatest" Is Gone". Time. 1978-02-27. p. 5. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919377-5,00.html</ref>
* Grits – a media term for the [[Liberal Party of Canada]]
* The Gray Lady – [[The New York Times]]
* The Great Commoner – [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham]] ("Pitt the Elder") or [[William Jennings Bryan]]


Early uses of sobriquets in writing and literature include the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fox |first1=Harry |title=A New Understanding of the Sobriquet דורשי החלקות: Why Qumranites Rejected Pharisaic Traditions |journal=Law, Literature, and Society in Legal Texts from Qumran |date=24 January 2019 |volume=128 |pages=65–66 |doi=10.1163/9789004393387_004 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004393387/BP000010.xml |access-date=24 February 2024 |series=Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah |publisher=Brill |location=Leuven, NL |isbn=978-90-04-39338-7 |language=en}}</ref> and in [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] and [[Song dynasty|Song (Southern Sung) dynasty]] poetry.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Pauline Yu |title=Voices of the Song Lyric in China |date=1994 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |pages=84, 88 |url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft129003tp;brand=ucpress |access-date=24 February 2024 |language=en |format=Digital collection |chapter=Song Lyrics and the Canon: A Look at Anthologies of Tz'u}}</ref> Contemporary usage is common in the English and French languages.<ref name="CNRTLfr">{{cite web |title=SOBRIQUET : Définition de SOBRIQUET |url=https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/sobriquet |website=www.cnrtl.fr |publisher=Centre National de Resources Textuelles et Lexicales (National Center for Textual and Lexical Resources) |access-date=24 February 2024 |location=Nancy, France |language=fr |date=2002}}</ref>
=== H–M ===
* Hanoi Jane – [[Jane Fonda]], for her anti-war stance during the [[Vietnam War]] including visiting [[Hanoi]], seen as an act of treason to many Americans.
* The Haryana Hurricane – [[Kapil Dev]], Indian cricketer known for his fast bowling.
* Hef - [[Hugh Hefner]]
* The Hick from French Lick – [[Larry Bird]]
* His Airness – [[Michael Jordan]]
* (The) Hoff – [[David Hasselhoff]]
* Hogtown – [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
* The Holy Land – [[Israel]] / [[Palestine]]
* The Home of Cricket - [[Lord's Cricket Ground]]
* Honest Abe – [[Abraham Lincoln]]
* The Hub - [[Boston, Massachusetts]], USA
* The Iron Duke - [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]
* The Iron Lady - [[Margaret Thatcher]]
* [[Iz the Wiz]] - Michael Martin, [[Graffiti]] Writer
* Jock - a [[Scottish people|Scot]], especially a Scottish soldier
* [[Joe the Plumber]] – Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, an American plumbing contractor who was cited as an example of a middle class American during the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 U.S. presidential election season]] by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Presidential nominee|nominee for president]], [[John McCain]]
* Joltin' Joe – [[Joe DiMaggio]], [[Baseball]] player; former husband of [[Marilyn Monroe]]
* K of P – [[King of Prussia, Pennsylvania|King of Prussia]], Pennsylvania, USA
* [[Kaká]] – Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
* The Killer – [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]
* The King (of baseball) – [[Félix Hernández]]
* The King (of all Media) – [[Howard Stern]]
* The King (of golf) – [[Arnold Palmer]]
* The King (of [[NASCAR]]) – [[Richard Petty]]
* The King (of Rock and Roll) – [[Elvis Presley]]
* The King of [[Reggae]] - [[Bob Marley]]
* The King (of [[Rugby League]] (particularly in Australia)) – [[Wally Lewis]]
* King James – [[LeBron James]]
* The King of Pop – [[Michael Jackson]]
* The King of Spain – [[Ashley Giles]]
* The King of Spin – [[Shane Warne]]
* Knick Killer – [[Reggie Miller]]
* The Lady with the Lamp - [[Florence Nightingale]]
* The Land of a Thousand Lakes – [[Finland]]
* The Land of the Long White Cloud - [[New Zealand]]
* Larry Legend – [[Larry Bird]]
* The Last Emperor- [[Xuantong Emperor]]
* The Lion of the Round Top – Col. [[Joshua L. Chamberlain]], commander of the [[20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment|20th Maine Regiment]], [[American Civil War]]
* The Little Apple - [[Manhattan, Kansas]], USA After [[The Big Apple]] – New York City, New York, USA
* The Little Corporal - [[Napoléon Bonaparte]]
* [[Little Richard]] – Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman, a prominent figure in [[rock n' roll]]
* The Little General - [[Ron Lancaster]], former quarterback and coach in the [[Canadian Football League]]
* The Little Fellow - [[Charlie Chaplin]]
* The Little Master - [[Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar]], Indian cricketer
* [[Little Paris]] - [[Bucharest]], [[Romania]]
* The Little Sparrow – [[Édith Piaf]], French singer
* The Little Sparrow – [[Sezen Aksu]], Turkish singer
* Madge – [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]
* Madiba – [[Nelson Mandela]]
* Mega Star - [[Chiranjeevi]] (Actor), India.
* Magic - [[Earvin Johnson]]
* The Magic City - [[Miami, Florida]]
* The Man from Tennessee – [[Andrew Jackson]]
* The Man in Black – [[Johnny Cash]]
* [[Manitas de Plata]] – [[Flamenco]] [[guitarist]] Ricardo Baliardo
* The [[Material Girl]] – [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]
* [[Sergio Oliva|The Myth]] – Bodybuilding great [[Sergio Oliva]]
* [[Mahatma]] Gandhi – [[Mahatma Gandhi|Mohandas K. Gandhi]]
* Maynard – [[Maynard James Keenan|James Herbert Keenan]]
* [[Meat Loaf]] - Marvin Aday
* The Mick – [[Mickey Mantle]]
* Ming (the Merciless) - Sir [[Robert Menzies]], Prime Minister of Australia (perhaps from Scots pronunciation of surname, "Mingiss")
* [[Mr. October]] – [[Reggie Jackson]]- Major League Baseball Player and Hall of Famer
* Mr. Hockey – [[Gordie Howe]]
* Mother Monster - [[Lady Gaga]]
* The Motor City - [[Detroit]], from its automotive heritage
* Motown - [[Detroit]], from its musical heritage
* Mr. MojoRisin - Jim Morrison
* Muggsy - [[Tyrone Bogues]], NBA Player


=== N–S ===
==Examples==
*The King (of rock and roll) – [[Elvis Presley]], famous vocalist and musician<ref name="usage" />
* [[Netaji]] – [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], Indian freedom fighter, the leader of the [[Provisional Government of Free India]] and leader of [[Indian National Army]]
*The Lion City – [[Singapore]], the city-state, also known as Little Red Dot, The Garden City <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/46/S0424600.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010411060419/http://www.bartleby.com/61/46/S0424600.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-04-11 |title=Singapore |publisher=Bartleby |access-date=2024-07-24}}</ref>
* New York's Finest - [[New York City Police Department]]
*The Big Yin – [[Billy Connolly]], Glaswegian comedian commonly referred to as "The Big Yin", meaning "The Big One" in [[Scots language|Scots]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-scotland-season-to-celebrate-billy-connolly |title=BBC Scotland season to celebrate Billy Connolly |publisher=BBC Media Centre |quote=A big celebration of the Big Yin is kicking off on the BBC Scotland channel. |date=2 May 2020 |access-date=5 October 2020}}</ref>
* New York's Best- NYC*EMS, originally ran by the [[Health and Hospitals Corporation]], taken over by FDNY in 1996 and is now [[FDNY Bureau of EMS|FDNY EMS]]
*The [[London (city)|Big Smoke]] – [[London]] or [[Toronto]]
* New York's Bravest - [[New York City Fire Department]]
*[[Names of Japan|The Land of the Rising Sun]] – [[Japan]]
* New York's Boldest - [[New York City Department of Correction]] (who work in the City's jails.)
*[[Columbia (personification)|Columbia]] – The United States or the [[Americas]], poetic name
* [[Obamacare]] - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, generally derogatory
*[[Dixie]], Dixieland (from the [[Mason–Dixon line]]) – the eleven Southern states that seceded and fought against the U.S. in the [[American Civil War]]
* [[Threadneedle Street|The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street]] – the [[Bank of England]]
*The [[Fourth Estate]] – [[Journalist|the press]]
* Old Nick – in Christianity, the [[Christian teaching about the Devil|Devil]]
*[[Names of the Philippines|Pearl of the Orient]] – the [[Philippines]], referring to its location in the Southeast Asia (or the East, with "Orient" meaning "East")
* Old St. Nick – [[Santa Claus]]
*[[Graveyard of Empires]] – [[Afghanistan]]
* [[The Old Bailey]] – The Central Criminal Court in England
*[[Gautam Buddha]] – [[Siddhartha Gautama]], derived from the word 'Budh', which means 'enlightened'.
* Ol' Blue Eyes – [[Frank Sinatra]], entertainer
*[[Uncle Sam]] – the U.S. in general or specifically its government, likely from the initials "U.S."<ref>{{cite web |title=Uncle Sam |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/uncle%20sam |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>
* Old Hickory – [[Andrew Jackson]], 7th President of the United States
*[[John Bull]] – the [[UK]] in general or specifically, its government (originally an attack against the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whigs]], their foreign policy, and their financiers who were profiting from wars with other nations).
* Old Kinderhook (OK) – [[Martin Van Buren]], 8th President of the United States
*Uncle Joe – [[Joseph Stalin]]
* The [[Old Pretender]] – [[James Francis Edward Stuart]]
* Old Rough and Ready – [[Zachary Taylor]]
*The Sun King – [[Louis XIV of France]]
*Papa Doc – [[François Duvalier]], 34th president of Haiti
* Oxford of the East - [[University of Dhaka]] in the early 20th century
*The [[Sage (philosophy)|Sage]] of [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] – [[Thomas Carlyle]], Scots philosopher
* Para (Para's) - British soldier in The [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] or Paras - The [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]]
*[[The war to end all wars|The War to End All Wars]] – [[World War I]]; used ironically since [[World War II]]
* The Paris of the [[Baltic states|Baltics]] - [[Riga]], [[Latvia]]
*[[Windy City (nickname)|The Windy City]] – Chicago, Illinois, US
* The Paris of the North - [[Riga]], [[Latvia]]
*[[Detroit|Motor City]] – Detroit, Michigan, US
* [[History of San Francisco|The Paris of the West]] – [[San Francisco]], USA
*[[The Mile High City]] – Denver, Colorado, US
* The Paris of the South – [[São Paulo]] and [[Buenos Aires]]
*[[Big Apple|The Big Apple]] – New York, New York, US
* Pearl of the [[Danube]] - [[Budapest]], Hungary
*[[The Little Apple]] – Manhattan, Kansas, US
* Pearl of the Orient/Pearl of the Orient Seas - the [[Philippines]]
*The Mini Apple – [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota, US
* Pearl of the Orient - [[Hong Kong]]
*[[Man's best friend]] – [[dogs]], derived from the origins of dogs, it indicates the relationship that has developed between the two species as they have each evolved to form a symbiotic relationship that is unique among human relationships to domestic animals.
* [[Pelé]] – Edson Arantes do Nascimento
*Scotty from marketing - [[Scott Morrison]], referring to his former marketing career<ref>https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/scott-morrison-rejects-scotty-from-marketing-nickname/news-story/505913dfa62b8e6441b5ecc90c129ab7</ref>
* Pensioneers – Chelsea football club
*"Emiye Menelik", a name of Emperor [[Menelik II]] of [[Ethiopia]], who was popularly and affectionately recognized for his kindness ("emiye" means "mother" in [[Amharic]]){{Cn|date=December 2024}}
*The Peoples champ-Kevin 'Pigsy' McCann
* [[Perfidious Albion]] – Great Britain (from French, ''Albion perfide'')
* The Philosopher - [[Aristotle]]
* [[Pink (singer)|Pink (stylized P!nk)]] - Alecia Moore
* Pink City – [[Jaipur]], India
* Pommy (or Pom) - Australian name for an English person, vaguely affectionate except when "Pommy" is succeeded by "bastard"
* Prince of the [[humanism|Humanists]] – [[Desiderius Erasmus]]
* Prince of [[Kolkata]] – [[Saurav Ganguly]]
* The Queen of the Arabian Sea – [[Cochin]]
* The Queen of Pop – [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]]
* The [[Honorific nicknames in popular music|Queen of Soul]] - [[Aretha Franklin]]
* Queen of the Suburbs – The residential area called [[Ealing#Queen_of_the_Suburbs|Ealing]] in England.
* The Rawalpindi Express – [[Shoaib Akhtar]]
* [[The Red Arrows]] - (British) Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team
* [[The Red Baron]] – [[Manfred von Richthofen]], World War I, German flying ace
* The Red Devils – (British) Parachute Regiment, Manchester United Football Club
* The Red Planet - [[Mars]]
* [[The Rat Pack]] – A group of American singers and entertainers from the late 1950s to the early 1970s
* The Rock (prison) – [[Alcatraz]] Prison
* The Rock (person) – [[Dwayne Johnson]]
* The Rock (place) - [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland, Canada]]
* The Rock Chameleon – [[David Bowie]]
* Saint Jimmy – [[Billie Joe Armstrong]]
* Sandman – [[Howard Sims]], dancer
* [[Sassenach]] - Scottish and Irish term for an [[English people|English person]]
* [[Satchmo]] – [[Louis Armstrong]]
* The Say Hey Kid – [[Willie Mays]], American, Major League baseball player and Hall of Famer
* The Scottish Play - [[Macbeth]]
* Sher-e-Bangla (Tiger of Bengal) - [[A. K. Fazlul Huq]], 20th century [[Bengali people|Bengali]] political leader and statesman
* [[Sin City (description)|Sin City]] – [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], USA
* [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] – Saul Hudson, guitarist.
* [[Slick Willie (disambiguation)|Slick Willie]] - [[Bill Clinton]], [[Willie Sutton]], [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie Brown]], [[W. W. Herenton]]
* Slowhand – [[Eric Clapton]]
* The Smoke – London
* Soapy Sam – [[Samuel Wilberforce]], Bishop of [[Oxford]]
* The Spaceman – Major League Baseball player [[Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)|Bill Lee]]
* The Splendid Splinter - Baseball player [[Ted Williams]]
* The Steel Butterfly - [[Imelda Marcos]]
* [[Pittsburgh|The Steel City]] – [[Pittsburgh]]
* Steeltown - [[Hamilton, Ontario]], Canada
* [[Gordon Sumner|Sting]] – Gordon Sumner
* The Subtle Doctor – [[John Duns Scotus]]
* [[The Sultan of Swat]] – [[Babe Ruth]], Major league Baseball player and Hall of Famer
* Super Star – Tamil Actor (Indian) [[Rajinikanth]]


=== T–Z ===
== See also ==
* [[Elegant variation]]
* The [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]] [[Boss (crime)|Don]] – [[mobster]] [[John Gotti]]
* The [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]] Taoiseach – [[Bertie Ahern]], former [[Taoiseach]] of Ireland
* The Thin White Duke – [[David Bowie]], Actor, Entertainer
* The Thunderer - ''[[The Times]]'' newspaper, London
* The Toxic Twins – [[Aerosmith]] members [[Steven Tyler]] and [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]], referred to as such because of their massive drug intake during the 70's and 80's
* Tree-Town - [[Ann Arbor]], Michigan, USA
* The Twin Cities - [[Saint Paul]] and [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota, USA
* [[Tinseltown]] – [[Hollywood]], California, USA
* Trane – [[John Coltrane]]
* Tricky Dick – [[Richard Nixon]], 37th President of the United States
* [[Turd Blossom]] – name given by [[George W. Bush]] to [[Karl Rove]]
* [[Uncle Sam]] – the [[U.S.A.]] in general or specifically the government
* Venice of the North - [[Stockholm, Sweden]] and the City of [[Cork (city)|Cork]], Ireland
* The Virgin Queen – Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]]
* The Voice - [[Whitney Houston]]
* The Wall - [[Rahul Dravid]]
* [[Palace of Westminster|Westminster]] – the British Parliament
* [[Whitehall]] – the British government including Parliament but excluding the monarchy
* [[White House]] – the executive branch of the government of the United States
* [[The Windy City]] – Chicago, Illinois, USA and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
* X-22 – backgammon champion [[Paul Magriel]].
* [[Yankee]] – an American of European ancestry not sympathetic to the Southern cause, originally only from the states that fought against the Confederacy in the Civil War but now from any non-Southern state; used outside the USA to mean any American; sometimes derogatory in either usage
* Yank (a short form of "Yankee") – originally used derogatorily by Southerners but now often heard outside the USA
* Yardbird – jazz saxophonist [[Charlie Parker]] (also shortened simply to "Bird")
* [[The Young Pretender]] – [[Charles Edward Stuart]]

==See also==
{{multicol}}
* [[Cognomen]]
* [[Metonymy]]
* [[Moniker]]
* [[Moniker]]
* [[Epithet]]
{{multicol-break}}
* [[Nickname]]
* [[Pop icon]]
* [[Pseudonym]]
{{multicol-end}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|30em}}
*{{1911}}


== External links ==
== Sources ==
{{wiktionary}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{EB1911 |wstitle = Sobriquet }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Personal names}}


[[Category:Nicknames| ]]
[[Category:Nicknames| ]]
[[Category:Semantics]]
[[Category:Semantics]]
[[Category:Word play]]
[[Category:Word play]]

[[af:Bynaam]]
[[az:Ləqəb]]
[[be:Мянушка]]
[[bo:མིང་ལྡོག]]
[[br:Lesanv]]
[[cs:Přezdívka]]
[[es:Sobrenombre]]
[[fr:Sobriquet]]
[[it:Soprannome]]
[[he:שם חיבה]]
[[nl:Bijnaam]]
[[no:Kallenavn]]
[[pt:Sobrenome]]
[[ru:Прозвище]]

Latest revision as of 18:20, 13 December 2024

A sobriquet (/ˈsoʊbrɪˌkeɪ, ˌsoʊbrɪˈkeɪ/ SOH-brih-kay, -⁠KAY) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may become more familiar than the original name.

Examples are Genghis Khan, who is rarely recognized by his name Temüjin ("Genghis Khan" means "universal ruler" in Mongolian); and Mohandas Gandhi, who is better known as Mahatma Gandhi ("mahatma" means "great soul" in Sanskrit).

The term sobriquet is equally applicable as a name for a person, group of people, historical event, or place. Well-known places often have sobriquets, such as New York City, often called the "Big Apple", or Rome, the "Eternal City" , or Vienna, the "Golden Apple".

Etymology

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The modern French and English spelling is sobriquet.[1] Two earlier variants are soubriquet and sotbriquet. The first variant, "soubriquet" dates from the 15th century and is rarely used now, in English or French.[1][2]

The early 14th-century soubzsbriquez meant a "little blow under the chin", also described as a chuck under the chin; this was derived from soubs, mod. sous (Latin: sub), under.[2]

Usage

[edit]

Sobriquets are "a form of identification that goes beyond a traditional name and offers insight into a person’s character, appearance, profession, or any other distinguishing feature".[3] They are used in politics, music, literature and for royalty, celebrities, and athletes.[4]

Candidates for public office and political figures may be described with sobriquets, while living or posthumously. For example, president of the United States Abraham Lincoln was called "Honest Abe".[5] An affectionate contemporary sobriquet for Ulysses S. Grant was the "American Sphinx" as a man of deeds rather than for verbal self-promotion.[6]

Early uses of sobriquets in writing and literature include the Dead Sea Scrolls[7] and in Tang and Song (Southern Sung) dynasty poetry.[8] Contemporary usage is common in the English and French languages.[2]

Examples

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "sobriquet | Etymology of sobriquet". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "SOBRIQUET : Définition de SOBRIQUET". www.cnrtl.fr (in French). Nancy, France: Centre National de Resources Textuelles et Lexicales (National Center for Textual and Lexical Resources). 2002. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b Manaher, Shawn (2023). "How and When To Use "Sobriquet"". The Content Authority. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Epithet: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.net". Literary Terms. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  5. ^ Howe, Daniel W (1 June 2008). "Honest Abe: Abraham Lincoln and the Moral Character". www.fpri.org. Philadelphia: Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 24 February 2024. Lincoln won his nickname "Honest Abe" while practicing law in the circuit courts of Illinois during the 1850s. Colleagues ranked him "at the head of his profession in the state" in part because of their absolute confidence that he never told a lie.
  6. ^ "Provenance of the Ulysses S. Grant Papers". www.loc.gov. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. 1965. p. v. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  7. ^ Fox, Harry (24 January 2019). "A New Understanding of the Sobriquet דורשי החלקות: Why Qumranites Rejected Pharisaic Traditions". Law, Literature, and Society in Legal Texts from Qumran. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah. 128. Leuven, NL: Brill: 65–66. doi:10.1163/9789004393387_004. ISBN 978-90-04-39338-7. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  8. ^ Pauline Yu (1994). "Song Lyrics and the Canon: A Look at Anthologies of Tz'u". Voices of the Song Lyric in China (Digital collection). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 84, 88. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Singapore". Bartleby. Archived from the original on 11 April 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  10. ^ "BBC Scotland season to celebrate Billy Connolly". BBC Media Centre. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020. A big celebration of the Big Yin is kicking off on the BBC Scotland channel.
  11. ^ "Uncle Sam". Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  12. ^ https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/scott-morrison-rejects-scotty-from-marketing-nickname/news-story/505913dfa62b8e6441b5ecc90c129ab7

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
  • The dictionary definition of sobriquet at Wiktionary
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