“When I go out with the ladies, I don’t force them to pronounce my name. I tell them I like to go by the nickname of Kitten.” ~ Joaquin Phoenix
Lil bits, bit bits, little bitch, e-little-bits, and e-lil-bitch were collective nicknames for my given name, Elizabeth. My cousin Suzanne called me most of them, with bit bits and little bitch her personal faves. E-liz-a-beth is a lot of name for a two year old.
Imagine if my parents had chosen to name me Domenica! This was the preference of my Sicilian grandmother, though going up against the feisty woman that was my mom, Nan had little hope of winning the name game. I always thought I was named after the Queen of England, but mom pointed out it was Elizabeth Taylor who inspired her choice. Hey, not too shabby, right?
Elizabeth IS a pretty name, with more than it’s share of nicknames (Bess, Betty, Bessie, Eli, Liz, Lizzy, Libby, etc.).
I, however, was having none of those — or even Elizabeth. One day, when I was about two, Mom heard a commotion coming from my room. When she swung my bedroom door open, my entire baby wardrobe was thrown all over the place (think: clothing explosion!) and there I was happily jumping up and down on my bed yelling proudly, “LEE LEE’S MESS! LEE LEE’S MESS!” If only we had YouTube back then…DAMN, we would’ve gone viral!
(ITALIAN LESSON: Nickname – Soprannome)
Anyway, Lee Lee “stuck”. I was called Lee Lee for a few years, and then one of the Lees simply fell away. Mom’s vision of the beautiful name she chose for her daughter vanished too, since Lee is what I go by today. Mom and Dad did use Elizabeth when I was acting up though, since four syllables made for much better yelling power.
Do you have a nickname? I’d love to hear your childhood nicknames that stuck – or didn’t. Please share HERE.
I think I knew you for a year before I discovered your real name!
My mother purposefully gave my sister and I “non-nickname” names — so of course I grew up wanting one. But “Dor” isn’t really very pretty, so it’s mostly just Doreen.
p.s. cute pic!
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@ Style Maniac:
So – no Reen or Reenie over the years Doreen?
me
p.s. Thanks for the comment
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
I was called Jeanie until I started school, although most of my family called me that much longer. My middle name is Jean. I didn’t mind it. I prefer Barbara to Barb but it truly doesn’t matter that much.
Oddly when I would play house with a good friend of mine I wanted to be Emily and she was Elliott. We didn’t play your usual version of ‘house’… she had a finished basement and that would be my apartment and her’s was upstairs… because we were single working women when we played house.
b
My nickname was “Cosmic” whrn I was in college.
@ walter:
Love it Walter – so .. can you share why?
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
@ barbara:
Loved your version of house — so progressive!! Do you think any TV shows you watched at that time influenced your “house” choice?
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
I’m not sure Lee… there weren’t a lot of shows in the ’60′s that showed single women. Was That Girl then? We just didn’t have June Cleaver mothers and we didn’t have great marriages to emulate. So we were going to make it on our own.
b
So funny how we want the opposite of what we have, good or bad! My name sort of lends itself to a nickname, Denine to Dee or D, but I ABSOLUTELY HATE being called Dee. So I’ve never really had a nickname and I wanted one. I think it’s because we know instinctively that when you have a nickname it’s a term of endearment and you are loved or at least liked a bit more! I went through a phase around 9 yrs old when I wanted to be called Den, but it didn’t stick and it didn’t really fit. My mom, when she was being loving, called me Denine-ser. Another one that’s too long and doesn’t sound right. As an adult, one of my funniest friends was mock-rapping and made up a rapper’s name for me, Neeny D. That one stuck and it’s now my nickname, Neeny. We hope that our son, Nate, will call me Momma Neeny or just Neeny, but it’s too much to say for him! Oh well, at least I have an interesting name!
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So cute! Lee Lee’s mess! Always wondered about that also. And yes, not too shabby being named for the gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor. My nickname is pretty boring and probably came about through sheer kid/teenager laziness. Its just I. When my brother Larry was little, he called me Sissy, but that quickly vanished, and as we got older he dubbed me “The Ox” and still calls me that to this day. Upon meeting me the first time one of his friends asked why he would give such a small woman the nickname “The Ox.” His reply was that I was strong as an ox. No one else calls me this as they feel it is a personal brother/sister thing and would not feel right. I don’t know how strong I am these days, but I like my nickname and always thought of Irene as such an “old lady” name. Guess its okay now, since I am rapidly approaching “Old Lady Ville.” Talk to you later Lee Lee.
Love, I
@ Denine – The Bicycle-Chef:
Neeny D does have a great ring to it Denine! Thanks for stopping by!
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
@ Irene:
Never knew about the “OX” – that’s cute! Are you an Ox in the Chinese Zodiac by any chance? That would be interesting
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
My childhood nickname aside (hated it then, still do), my current nickname was bestowed upon me by my nieces, who at the time (20 years ago), were all of 6 and 7 years old. In a strange bit of synchronicity, a buddy of mine at work started calling me the same name, at the same time (his friend Angelo went by Ange), though he had no idea that the nickname was already in play. Guess that was meant to be.
@ Ange:
And don’t forget Angus McGillicuddy!!
xo
Me
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
I did the opposite! I was born Cathy and had my name legally changed when I was 12 to Catherine.
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@ Jotter Girl:
What a little class act you were (and still are) Catherine! Was there an actress of that name who inspired you?
xo
Me
p.s. I would love if you made a 30 sec story out of my little heinie photo in this post – I’m sure you would come up with something very clever!
"Me" recently posted..Lil Bits & Pieces (what’s your nickname?)
@ Jotter Girl:
How cool is that Catherine! You were so mature at such a young age!