# Avatars/User Names Explained **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829 "2019-11-22T18:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RollOutTheBarrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rolloutthebarrel/32/1649_2.png) [@RollOutTheBarrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RollOutTheBarrel)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/101 "2019-12-01T01:01:33Z")
My user name is a line from the Beer Barrel Polka. I like beer and polka so it’s fitting. My avatar is a barrel because I am not that creative. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/102 "2019-12-11T10:05:49Z")
You might presume I am a fan of the hip hop artist and actor LL Cool J, but that’s not the case. I read a few years ago that his stage name stands for “Ladies Love Cool James”. Which I thought was amusing and cool. So I just swapped in the first letter of my first name for the J, and smooshed it together. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/103 "2019-12-11T16:28:35Z")
My name is Sam, and I like scifi. I like that Sam is gender-neutral - it’s interesting that people almost always put Sam and scifi together and assume I’m male. Some of the reactions I get when people assume I’m male are very different to the reactions when they assume I’m female, in both good and bad ways. I’ve used this name for about 15 years, but have also used other names to the extent that some people know me by those (and we’re still close). My daughter, however, heard me called Scifisam so often in real life she thought that was my full name. > [@Colibri](#): > > _Colibri_ is Spanish for hummingbird. I did my doctoral thesis on hummingbirds in Panama. > > My avatar is the Green Violet-ear, [_Colibri thalassinus_.](https://www.hbw.com/species/green-violet-ear-colibri-thalassinus) > > My profile picture is my alter-ego, [Huitzilopochtli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Huitzilopochtli_telleriano.jpg/220px-Huitzilopochtli_telleriano.jpg), the Southern Hummingbird, the Aztec god of war, blood, and human sacrifice. It symbolizes my attitude toward trolls and spammers.🙂 I did not know any of that. Beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/104 "2019-12-12T18:38:52Z")
My username reflects my graduate research, which was concentrated on coral reef ecology in the Keys and the Bahamas. And, if you were so inclined to look for a double entendre, I’m sure you could find it. My avatar is a well-known Korean actress, just to represent my appreciation for Korean cinema. I’ve got about 200 Korean DVDs on my shelf, and have seen about 150 more on top of that. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/105 "2019-12-12T19:17:56Z")
I don’t bother with avatars, use your imagination. I got involved with car and motorcycle racing as a teen and I still volunteer at car events. My coworkers at almost any job I’ve had, think I’m nuts to do something risky. It’s okay, I’m trained and it’s my choice. There was once a thread here about what picture your name put in your mind, and I came up with the little bits of food and stones from shoes that land in the footwell of the car. So, now I call those carnuts, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/106 "2019-12-12T19:59:49Z")
I was trying to think of a word that is not common and remembered the word “[Hermitian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitian_adjoint#Hermitian_operators)” (link goes to Wikipedia) from a quantum mechanics class. My avatar goes with that theme. I am equal to my own adjoint. I have forgotten most of what that means. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/107 "2020-01-22T17:01:19Z")
I got doxxed on a Prodigy board back in 1991, so realized that internet privacy and anonymity is nothing more than a fantasy _real_ early. So I’ve just given up on internet anonymity and just use varying combinations of my first/last name/initials. ---
**Author:** ![BeagleJesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5daacb/32.png) [@BeagleJesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeagleJesus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/108 "2020-01-22T19:38:04Z")
I’m still really new around here but I’ll play anyway. Years ago I wanted a dog. For some reason I still cannot understand I wanted a beagle. I did little to no research or preparation and one day I just went out and got a beagle. Long story short, I was _NOT_ prepared to have a wild ass animal living in my house. I quickly got to the point where I thought I made a mistake and I was considering giving him up to someone who could handle his crazy ass. Once I got to that point I figured there was nothing left to lose so I sat down on the living room floor and we had us a coming to Jesus talk. I don’t know what I said or did but everything changed after that little chat and ever since then I tell people that Beagle Jesus must of taken pity on us. When I signed up I wanted something unique and my little jackass was curled up in my lap taking a nap so I figured what the hell. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829/109 "2020-01-22T20:05:38Z")
Here in Australia, it’s common to create a nickname by taking the first couple of letters of a name (or a close phonetic representation) and appending the letter ‘z’. Gary = Gaz Kerry = Kez Lauren = Loz and Carol = Caz. Sometimes people have embellished it further and called me Cazzle IRL, and that was less likely to already be taken. My avatar is a screengrab from the movie Zoolander for no obvious reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatars-user-names-explained/843829.md?page=5)