Fun & Famous

What’s in a nickname?

Adeline alias Pien, Aad, Ade, Lien, Adele (‘helloooo’), Adeline (in English, Adelain thus). I was eleven years old when I stood in line with my mother at the Appie. With the two hottest boys in the village in my wake and my tiny teenage heart in my throat. And she just said it, in front of everyone, my inner-circle-nickname: Pien. That name that could only be spoken within the four walls of our home was out on the street. Or on the treadmill of the Albert Heijn to be exact, right in front of my crushes (I liked both, couldn't choose). Terrible. But the disgust over that name faded a bit and after a while gently turned into cooler, until it got an extra-extra-best-friends-dimension. As in: if someone gives you a nickname? Then it’s for real.

The nickname or alias, not to be confused with the pet name. The pet name is of a whole different order. It can feel cuddly, mushy, or wet. Not so the alias, because that is warm, ally-like, and very much #friendshipgoals. Yes, even if it sounds like they are calling for the milkman (Aad). Or if you are obliged to explain that you used to be an intensely lazy child, who had to be woken up gently with rhymes (Pien). These days I’m moving forward, because the French Adeline gets a bit of an international swing in the editorial office by pronouncing it in English and writing it as Adelain. In a drunken state, it also sounds a bit like on-the-line, I feel it.

The alias has existed since mankind began to chat. But you have differences, because you either have a good nickster or an easy one. I always find an abbreviation to have that something cute-name-but-god-what-is-it-long vibe, but if they really try to make something of it and it suits you? So sweet. I always shrink a bit when someone then pulls out the official name for correction. It’s an effort, guys, don’t be so cold. Among men, giving someone a nickname means I-love-you, but without the point that they have to give up their masculinity. I get it, it shouldn’t get too sweet. And it says something about the character of the nickname. Scarface, Blue Eyes, Posh Spice. I’m still looking for the synonym for on-the-line, but I’m already enjoying the fact that it sounds grand and epic. Hmmm, or does it mean that I am grand (uhuh) and epic?

Well, I don’t care. It indicates that you are one of the guys, they like you, and with a bit of luck, it also says something about how you are made. I am a blessed person with at least three frequently used aliases. My mother still occasionally sniffs a bit about how Adeline is such a beautiful name, but actually, she was the instigator with the Albert crush debacle. By the way, LinkedIn did a little research and the shorter the nick, the bigger the bag of money at the end of your career. Also a pro, right? And now you, what is your nickname and who around you has the absolute cutest?

With love,

Aaaadelaaain