A Who's Who of Nicknames

London: George Allen & Unwin, 1985. First edition. Very Good +. Nicknaming, which began as a means of identification, has developed into a fascinting branch of linguistics, embracing character assessment and assassination. It combines physical description, achievement, employs humour and ingenuity, and contibutes to history, etymology and the gaiety of nations. The authors set themselves limits and then allowed themselves to stray beyond them to show the exuberant range of nicknames concerned with people and describe how they came to be applied, celebrating the inventiveness and humour they display. Hazlitt said: 'A nickname is the heaviest stone that the devil can throw at a man' - though in fact he was referring more to political labels than personal nicknames. As the authors state, ""Even so, let the stoning commence""! Fading to rear of cover;black boards. bumped corners, bookplate inside front cover.clean pages and tight binding. no dj. AB71