# Amusing nicknames for things? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567 "2006-08-13T17:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/41 "2006-08-14T18:22:42Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > My heavily bearded, moustached, husband had a cigarette in his mouth when he asked me to pass him the “drift punch”. I couldn’t understand what he said and I replied, “What’s a jerk wrench?” Since then, any unnamed tool is called a jerk wrench. That’s a flange sprocket round here! ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/42 "2006-08-14T18:37:53Z")
On Star Trek and Star Wars, everyone is always in need of a hydrospanner, which I don’t think is ever actually shown (on an episode of DS9, we ARE shown an example of something that is specifically NOT a hydrospanner). As far as my friends and I can figure out, a hydrospanner is some kind of pneumatic wrench. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/43 "2006-08-14T18:55:06Z")
I mentioned this in another thread recently (and I still have no idea what it’s supposed to be) but there’s a statue on campus at Dalhousie University that’s known among us students as the Six-Foot Exploding Penis. ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/44 "2006-08-14T18:59:24Z")
[The Giant Golden Bunny Rabbit](http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2002/sculpture3.jpg) by Henry Moore. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/45 "2006-08-14T19:17:39Z")
There’s the thing in Millenium Park downtown Chicago that was named the Cloud Gate, but is refered to by everyone else as [The Bean](http://www.chicagosnapshot.com/cs/archives/downtown/082804_millpark004.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/46 "2006-08-14T19:43:25Z")
When my friend and I were both dating people who lived in North Carolina (we were both living in Ohio), I told him to keep an eye out for “nipple mountain” when driving through Mt. Airy, NC. There’s a large sloping hill (mountain?) there that has some sort of formation on the top with straight sides and a domed top. Looks JUST like a giant boob coming up from the ground. He totally saw it the first time he drove down there and we always thought it was hi-lar-i-ous. Unfortunately I can’t find any pics. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/47 "2006-08-14T20:04:29Z")
This is sad, but funny in a gallows-humor sort of way. My former husband was in the Navy, assigned to the [USS Forrestal](http://forrestal.org/fidfacts/page13.htm), an aircraft carrier. The carrier was the scene of historic destruction on July 29, 1967, when a Zuni rocket accidentally fired on deck igniting fuel and ordinance, resulting in the destruction of 21 aircraft and killing 134 men. The ship was repaired and placed back into service, but forever after referred to as the Forest Fire. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/48 "2006-08-14T21:00:47Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > My hometown has a statue of the Blessed Heart of Mary and a bigger one of the Heart of Jesus (however that one is referred to in English), in two different hills. > > The Heart of Jesus is known as “Manazas”, which means “big hands” or “sloppy”. You see: its hands are pretty big (normal, considering that the model for the body was a local farmer and some of those have hands like shovels) _and_ the poor guy keeps losing them every time he gets struck by lightning. No lightning has fallen in the town since he was built, it always hits the statue. When the Communist Party tried to start a motion to remove the statue, they were told that no way, it’s a helluva lightning rod so it stays. I’m puzzled. I’m trying to picture a statue of a heart that has hands, but not having much success. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/49 "2006-08-14T21:12:55Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > The [Columbia Tower](http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=119427) is the box the [Space Needle](http://architecture.about.com/library/blspaceneedle.htm) came in. This is an echo of a very old joke that appeared in a MAD Magazine satire of “2001: A Space Odyssey” where they referred to the monolith as “the box that the U.N. Building came in.” ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/50 "2006-08-14T22:16:29Z")
When we were children, we referred to our mother’s breasts as “slaxybees.” I have no idea why. She was just the only one that had them in the family. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/51 "2006-08-14T22:29:15Z")
My son and I recently took a trip on Amtrak, to see an old buddy of mine. At a stop, we asked the Conductor why there weren’t any cabooses anymore. The conductor went into a long speech about a new technological device that eliminated the need for personnel at the back of the train. I told this story to my buddy, who used to be a train engineer himself. “Oh, that’s called a Fred.” “Fred?!?” “Yeah. It’s a F\*cking Rear End Device.” My son was thrilled to hear that one. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/52 "2006-08-15T01:37:21Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > When my friend and I were both dating people who lived in North Carolina (we were both living in Ohio), I told him to keep an eye out for “nipple mountain” when driving through Mt. Airy, NC. > > There’s a large sloping hill (mountain?) there that has some sort of formation on the top with straight sides and a domed top. Looks JUST like a giant boob coming up from the ground. He totally saw it the first time he drove down there and we always thought it was hi-lar-i-ous. > > Unfortunately I can’t find any pics. I give you [Fern’s Nipple](http://www.waterfallwalks.com/cap%20reef%20ferns%20nipple%20copy.jpg), named by Mormon settler’s. There’s also a Molly’s Nipple in Utah. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/53 "2006-08-15T02:05:36Z")
> [@LilyoftheValley](#): > > Despite years of riding the Red Line over it, I never could remember the real name of the [Salt and Pepper Bridge](http://markorton.com/Events/BostonHarborCruise/html/image/dscn3160.jpg) in Boston. I had to look it up to recall it’s really the Longfellow Bridge. I bet if you asked people on the street, more people would call it the Salt and Pepper than the Longfellow. On the bridge theme, a bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati, after being painted purple and made pedestrian-only a few years ago, is now popularly called the Purple People Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/54 "2006-08-15T03:41:11Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > [The Giant Golden Bunny Rabbit](http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2002/sculpture3.jpg) by Henry Moore. Thank you! I definetely see da bunny raabbaat! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/55 "2006-08-15T04:41:42Z")
My mom thinks that the Chrysler PT Cruiser is ugly. She calls it the “Hearse for Midgets.” I don’t see it myself :dubious: East Lansing, MI (where Michigan State University is located) built a parking garage that is known to everyone as [The Habitrail](http://www.merrillphoto.com/argust3/habitrail%20aug%203%202003.jpg) because it looks like something that giant hamsters would run around in. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/56 "2006-08-15T07:57:33Z")
As I remember, my family has an antique rug we call “Otis.” The reason being that, being VERY large, and too much of an antique to risk using on a floor frequented by our usual host of creatures, we’ve kept it rolled up, and shuffled between closets for a couple of houses. With the (did I mention _large_?) size, weight, and overal bulk of the thing, it was like we’d taken the corpse of some distant relative, rolled it up in a rug, and hauled around and hidden “him” for a few years. Hence, the carpet has gained a full “him” honorific. I’m not sure where “Otis” came from ([“Wilt”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain) would have been more apt), but it seems to fit. ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/57 "2006-08-15T11:37:26Z")
The Douglas AC-47 is/was known as Puff the Magic Dragon because the 3 gattling guns firing at once looked like a dragons flame. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/58 "2006-08-15T11:43:45Z")
The merry-go-round at the bungalow colony I went to as a child was called “The Vomit Machine.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/59 "2006-08-15T12:00:40Z")
> [@iwakura43](#): > > I don’t recall the context, but was amused to hear the ranting of overly-enthusiastic Glock pistol advocates (mostly CounterStrike players who don’t know much about actual guns) called a “Glockenspiel.” That would be me, referring to the ravings of Glock-lovers as the “Glockenspiel”. 😉 I’ve been doing it for years (even when I was a full-time RO) and I’m positive I’ve used the term on the boards here… ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567/60 "2006-08-15T12:37:01Z")
While I remember: - The Sherman Tank was known as the “Ronson” because it caught fire easily - The V1 Buzz-Bomb was known as a “Doodlebug” because of their meandering trajectory after they ran out of fuel - The bayonet on the Lee-Enfield No 4 Mk I was known as a “Pigsticker” - The Lee-Enfield No 5 Mk I was nicknamed the “Jungle Carbine” (it was a carbine version of the Lee-Enfield designed for use in the jungle) - The [Fairey Swordfish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish) was known as “Stringbag” by it’s crews - The [Sunderland Flying Boat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunderland_flying_boat) was nicknamed “The Flying Porcupine” by German U-Boat crews because of it’s massive armament of machine guns and depth-charges (it was literally bristling with weapons) - The Colt Single Action Army is better known as the “Peacemaker” - Buckingham Palace is affectionately nicknamed “Buck House” - The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) is often called “Aunty”, especially amongst older Australians [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-nicknames-for-things/368567.md?page=4)