Topical Guide 194
Mark Dorset
Name: What’s in a
Name: Nickname; Moniker; Sobriquet; Epithet; Hypocorism; Cognomen
“Did you want the link sausages, Larry, or the sausage patties?” he asked.
“Gee, I’m not sure,” said Larry. “What kind are you having, Sexpot?” he asked Lucinda in the wisecracking tone that brother and sister used with each other. …
“I haven’t had any complaints yet, Green Eyes,” Larry asserted cockily, passing the platter of link sausages to his sister. …
“Hey, take it easy, Hot Stuff,” said Rocky, cupping her tight pubescent buttocks in his large and muscular hands.Little Follies, “Call Me Larry” (emphasis added)
A nickname (also moniker) is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character, particularly by school bullies.
A sobriquet (/ˈsoʊbrɪkeɪ/ SOH-bri-kay), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive.
An epithet (from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton) ‘adjective,’ from ἐπίθετος (epíthetos) ‘additional’) is a byname, or a descriptive term (word or phrase), accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people …
A hypocorism (/haɪˈpɒkərɪzəm/ hy-POK-ər-iz-əm or /haɪpəˈkɒrɪzəm/ hy-pə-KORR-iz-əm; from Ancient Greek: ὑποκόρισμα (hypokorisma), from ὑποκορίζεσθαι (hypokorizesthai), ‘to call by pet names’) or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person or object. It may be a diminutive form of a person’s name, such as Izzy for Isabel or Bob for Robert, or it may be unrelated.
The term cognomen (sometimes pluralized “cognomens”) has come into use as an English noun used outside the context of Ancient Rome. According to the 2012 edition of the Random House Dictionary, cognomen can mean a “surname” or “any name, especially a nickname.” The basic sense in English is “how one is well known.” For example Alfred the Great. (This is more similar to the Roman use of agnomen than their use of cognomen.)
Wikipedia, “Nickname,” “Sobriquet,” “Epithet,” “Hypocorism,” and “Cognomen”
Your earworm for today, “Green Eyes” (“Ojos Verdes”):
See also: Name, What’s in a TG 38, TG 43; Names, Pronunciation of TG 44
Watching on the treadmill: Without Lying Down, a brief video biography of Frances Marion.
The most renowned female screenwriter of the 20th century, and one of the most respected scripters of any gender, Frances Marion was born in San Francisco. She modeled and acted and had some success as a commercial artist. She entered into journalism and served in Europe as a combat correspondent during World War I. She moved to Los Angeles and was employed by director Lois Weber as an assistant, in which position she received a thorough apprenticeship in the film industry. She began writing scripts and attracted the attention of Mary Pickford. The pair began a long relationship as both friends and artists, with Marion serving as Pickford's official screenwriter. She wrote many of Pickford’s most famous and memorable silent films as well as many other of the great successful pictures of the 1920s and 1930s. She won Oscars for her writing on The Big House (1930) and The Champ (1931). Her influence resurrected the career of Marie Dressler and resulted in her greatest glory, and her scripts for Marion Davies are among the most memorable of that actress’ oeuvre. At MGM, where she was long under contract, she enjoyed enormous creative freedom for a writer. With the death of Irving Thalberg, MGM’s creative head, in 1936, Marion’s power and influence waned. In 1946 she left Hollywood and thereafter concentrated on plays and novels. She was at one time married to 1920s cowboy star Fred Thomson and subsequently to director George W. Hill. She died in 1973, one of the most respected names in Hollywood history.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver
Without Lying Down is available on Kanopy for free if you access it via your public library card.
Frances Marion’s films include Anna Christie (Garbo talks!) and Dinner at Eight.
[more to come on Monday, February 14, 2022]
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