# I'm looking for some friendly type names to call people

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 13, 2014, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518 "2014-11-13T09:55:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518/61 "2014-11-15T03:16:52Z")

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palooka  
weisenheimer  
bubba  
goombah  
yooze

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**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518/62 "2014-11-15T03:24:53Z")

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daddy-o  
sport  
goodtime charlie

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**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518/63 "2014-11-15T06:54:47Z")

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paisano  
friend  
compadre  
amigo  
hey, old [their last name]

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**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518/64 "2014-11-15T07:24:46Z")

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I remember a Dave Berg “Lighter Side” in MAD magazine where Joe Schmo greets some local big shot, and Big Shot responds “Hey, Mac!” Whereupon Mr. Schmo turns to his wife and says all excitedly “did you hear that?! He addressed me by my name! ‘Mac’! Maybe I’m not such a schnook after all!” as she listens all abeam. Then in the next panel, Big Shot returns the greetings of every other with “you too, Mac!” “pleasure’s mine, Mac!” “likewise, Mac!”, and Schmo sadly droops as his wife’s approval turns to scorn.

Not to brag, but I was always pretty good at predicting those Dave Berg twists.

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**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-some-friendly-type-names-to-call-people/704518/65 "2014-11-15T13:06:11Z")

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> [@notquitekarpov](#):
>
> If you article is US-centric then I can’t help you.
> 
> But if your interest extends to international terms of endearment to strangers then in the UK, in addition to the aforementioned and universal ‘dear’ and ‘love’ we have ‘duck’ and ‘babs’ (Midlands), ‘hen’ or less commonly now ‘doll’ (both Scots - obviously for use to ladies only), ‘hun’ or 'hinny and ‘pet’ (NE England), ‘my lover’ (SW England - esp Bristol), ‘chuck’ (Manchester area), kid or kidder (Liverpool), babes (Essex), Boyo (Wales - for men only but rare now only using used by English taking the piss), ‘cocker’ or ‘cock’ (parts of northern England) and finally ‘princess’ or ‘treasure’ (parts of London).

Additional UK info: the people of the north-east of Scotland speak an unusual variant of English, with rather a lot of words unknown elsewhere. In those parts, any male human will be addressed as “loon” (no connotations of insanity: it’s more or less equivalent to “lad” or “fella”); any female ditto, as “quine”.

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