Americans have a great love for informality and nowhere is this better expressed than in their love for nicknames. Upon greeting strangers for the first time they will quickly introduce themselves by their nickname. These are shortened forms of their given name at birth and reflect the casual relationships which exist among friends and coworkers. Family names are hardly ever used in daily situations and the use of one's father's last name is saved only for rare and formal occasions.
In many traditional cultures the use of the family name is seen as a sign of respect. For Americans, however, it's the nickname which creates an immediate intimacy between two people upon which to build a relationship. By speaking to another on a first name basis and using his nickname walls are immediately torn down and equality between two people is established.
At work bosses will refer to their employees by their nicknames. Should an employer use a worker's family name, you can be sure that some kind of correction or serious business will follow.
This love for nicknames can create a sense of closeness between people who are otherwise not related. Even the presidents of the United States Have borne nicknames. Abraham Lincoln was known as Honest Abe, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
was simple called FDR; Eisenhower was referred to informally as Ike; Richard Nixon was scorned as Tricky Dick; President Reagan was affectionately called The Gipper. John F. Kennedy was known as Jack or JFK and William Clinton has no reservations in letting people know he prefers to be called Bill, but those who look upon him with disfavor may call him Slick Willy.
Not only people but cities often carry their own nicknames. Chicago is called the "Windy City" because of the gusty winds which come down from Canada through- out the year. Philadelphia is well-known as the "City of Brotherly Love" ,St. Louis with its Gateway Arch is called "The Gateway to the West", and New York City is considered the "Big Apple" for reasons which are still obscure to most people including many New Yorkers. Other cities are merely abbreviations for the sake of convenience. Washington is simply called D.C. and Los Angeles is L.A.
When it comes to states within the Union there is no exception. All of them have a nickname. Especially noteworthy are New York as The Empire State and Texas as The Lone Star State.
Even some of the natural wonders of the land have been baptized with a nickname. Perhaps the most famous in this regard is the geyser at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Because it erupts on a regular basis and without fail, it has been nicknamed Old Faithful.
Not every nickname, however, is a complement and some can be downright rude and insulting. If someone should demonstrate a certain negative characteristic, a label will soon be attached to describe that person in a non-flattering way.
Likewise a person's physical traits which are very dominant may lead to nicknames but not necessarily to one's liking or choice. A nickname, therefore, is a way of endearing, identifying, alienating or describing someone or something for better or worse.