# Are there any young Dicks anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077 "2019-03-13T16:24:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/21 "2019-03-13T19:43:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Dick’s Sporting Goods. There was (still is?) a _Dick’s Liquor_ in La Jolla, CA. But it would be kind of a beck move for me to mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/22 "2019-03-13T19:51:22Z")
Aw, Dick Trickle died? I missed it. I worked with a guy named Richard Head\*. NEVER call him Dick. \*Why did his parents hate him so? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/23 "2019-03-13T20:02:20Z")
I’m not sure I know any ‘Dicks’ younger than 60. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/24 "2019-03-13T20:16:47Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I once (ca. 2003) made the hilarious mistake of going (for valid work purposes) to look at the Dick’s Sporting Goods website on a work computer. But I didn’t bother searching for the address, I simply assumed it would be [dicks.com](http://dicks.com). > > It. Was. Not. > > :eek::smack: I had a coworker who did the same thing at a client’s office. He leaped out of his chair to go explain that one to the CEO before their IT team could beat him to it. 😃 And for the OP, I work with a Dick who’s in his early 50s. That’s been the cut-off age, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reindeer_flotilla/32/3024_2.png) [@Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reindeer_Flotilla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/25 "2019-03-13T20:54:02Z")
Clarence Boddicker: [gets up close to Jones’ face] Hey… take a look at my face, _Dick_! He was trying to kill me. … Dick Jones: Suit yourself, Clarence… but Delta City begins construction in two months. That’s two million workers living in trailers. That means drugs, gambling, prostitution - virgin territory for the man who knows how to open up new markets. One man could control it all, Clarence. Clarence Boddicker: Well, I guess we’re gonna be friends after all… _Richard_. * * * From the [30-year old predictive documentary of future American politics and crime](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093870/?ref_=nv_sr_1). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/26 "2019-03-13T21:01:12Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > There was (still is?) a _Dick’s Liquor_ in La Jolla, CA. But it would be kind of a beck move for me to mention it. I see that!! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/27 "2019-03-13T21:12:17Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > And for the OP, I work with a Dick who’s in his early 50s. That’s been the cut-off age, in my experience. He must not be an observant Jew; for them, the cut-off age is 8 days. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/28 "2019-03-13T23:24:43Z")
I’m from the 1950s and anyone I ever knew named Richard was called Richard, Rich or Rick. There was one kid in town called “Dickie,” and to my way of thinking, Dickie is far worse than Dick. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/29 "2019-03-14T00:02:52Z")
I used to work with a Richard in a job in the early 90’s where two or three people spent most of the day driving around together. For some reason, we girls started calling him Dickie. It wasn’t intended to be mean, and he wasn’t offended by it. I have no idea why. Other than that, I don’t recall anyone I’ve met called Dick. I met a Butch once. That’s another name you don’t see much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/30 "2019-03-14T00:26:15Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I had a coworker who did the same thing at a client’s office. He leaped out of his chair to go explain that one to the CEO before their IT team could beat him to it. 😃 > > And for the OP, I work with a Dick who’s in his early 50s. That’s been the cut-off age, in my experience. Breathe easy everyone. I just tried it and [dicks.com](http://dicks.com) redirects to [https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/](https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/31 "2019-03-14T00:31:26Z")
So what is the current usage to replace “every Tom, Dick and Harry” > **[Tom, Dick and Harry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom,_Dick_and_Harry)** > > The phrase "Tom, Dick, and Harry" is a placeholder for unspecified people. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick, and Harry", meaning everyone, and "any Tom, Dick, or Harry", meaning anyone, although Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable defines the term to specify "a set of nobodies; persons of no note". > Similar expressions exist in other languages of the world, using commonly used first or last names. The phrase is used in numerous works of fiction. > The origin of the phrase is... ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/32 "2019-03-14T00:39:22Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I see that!! Couldn’t resist. Sorry. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/33 "2019-03-14T00:40:03Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > I met a Butch once. That’s another name you don’t see much anymore. I’m not sure if Butch is a nickname for a particular given name (I suspect that it isn’t, but I may be mistaken), but you’re right, it’s definitely fallen out of favor. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/34 "2019-03-14T00:41:04Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > So what is the current usage to replace > “every Tom, Dick and Harry” > [Tom, Dick and Harry - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom,_Dick_and_Harry) See post #10. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/35 "2019-03-14T01:03:04Z")
Youngest I ever met was born in 1961. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/36 "2019-03-14T03:47:47Z")
The baseball player Dick Allen was dubbed “Richie” by the Philadelphia media when he began to play for the Phillies. When he left to play for the Chicago White Sox, he insisted on being called “Dick,” stating that Richie was a “kid’s name.” ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/37 "2019-03-14T03:51:57Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Aw, Dick Trickle died? I missed it. > > I worked with a guy named Richard Head\*. NEVER call him Dick. > > \*Why did his parents hate him so? I worked with a Richard Dixon. Whose parents obviously hated him too. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/38 "2019-03-14T04:06:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Aw, Dick Trickle died? I missed it. Yeah, he committed suicide in 2013, after suffering from severe chronic pain for some time. Very sad. When I was growing up in Wisconsin in the 1970s and 1980s, he was one of the biggest names in the local racing scene, and it was a big deal when he made the jump to NASCAR. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/39 "2019-03-14T04:13:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The baseball player Dick Allen was dubbed “Richie” by the Philadelphia media when he began to play for the Phillies. When he left to play for the Chicago White Sox, he insisted on being called “Dick,” stating that Richie was a “kid’s name.” This reminded me of [Dickie Thon](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thondi01.shtml) (which is, itself, a name on a par with Dick Trickle – it’s like a porn telethon), a MLB infielder in the 1980s. As he was born in 1958, he’s another example of what appears to be the last generation of Dicks. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077/40 "2019-03-14T04:22:58Z")
I remember having thought this for a long time, that there was a pretty stark generation gap in who would shorten their name this way. But then I encountered someone semi-famous who was a lot younger than the usual suspects. I wish I could remember who it was: a musician, I think? > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Yeah, he committed suicide in 2013. As the child of someone who died by suicide, I implore you to let this “committed” usage die out, the same way “Dick” is. [https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/09/health/suicide-language-words-matter/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/09/health/suicide-language-words-matter/index.html) > [@](#): > > Top of mind to many who care about this topic is getting rid of the phrase “committed suicide,” says Dese’Rae Stage, a suicide awareness activist who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is trained in crisis intervention. > “It implies sin or crime” – we “commit” sins and crimes – “and pathologizes those affected. We suggest more objective phrasing, like ‘died by/from suicide,’ ‘ended their life’ or ‘took their life,’” she said. “If we’re using the right language, if we’re pulling negative connotations from the language, talking about suicide may be easier.” > A similar guideline actually has become the rule of thumb for major news organizations, including CNN, which often set the tone of public conversation around suicide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-young-dicks-anymore/831077.md?page=3)