Aussie slang - Part 1: Nicknames

I finally tracked down by high school BFF Bobbie, an ex-pat Kiwi, now living just out of London. I asked her for her addy so I could email her directly (rather than publish everything through FB). She asked me what an "addy" was. I was a little astonished. Have I become so assimilated here that I talk like a local?

Strines have an ?endearing habit of shortening the names of things and people, even if the shortening doesn't actually make the name shorter. Bottle shop and bottle-o have the same number of syllables. As do footy and football. And postie and postman. And addy and address.

However, they really come into their own when bestowing nicknames on people. Even important people.

Sir Ernest Edward Dunlop (AC, CMG, OBE) was a surgeon and war hero and prisoner of war, captured by the Japanese. But no-one knows him as that. He's 'Weary' Dunlop, or perhaps more formally, Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop.

So why is he 'Weary'? It's a nickname he'd acquired in his university days. You see, Dunlop were (?are) a major brand of tyres sold in Australia. Tyres/tires/tired/weary. As a man of such enormous energy, the nickname gets bonus points for being ironic.

So given that, what is a likely nickname for Gareth Johnston, a 6'7" (200cm) tall bloke with red hair?
(a)  Gazza
(b)  Johnno
(c)  GJ
(d)  Shorty
(e)  Bluey
(f)  Something else entirely

Correct answer: (g) Any of the above.

For some inexplicable reason, many names with an "r" sound in the middle get a "zza" nickname. Thus Barry becomes Bazza. Karen becomes Kazza; Sharon becomes Shazza; Darren become Dazza; Warren becomes Wozza; Murray become Muzza. And so on. It really works a treat when said with the shrill, very nasal twang of the broad Australian accent.

Note, however, that Baz Luhrman, film director etc, is not called Baz-short-for-Barry. He's called Baz because he looks like Basil Brush.

As noted before, many names get 'shortened' by dropping the second syllable (if there is one) and adding -o or -y. This is especially true of surnames. So my best friend and across-the-road neighbour through uni was known to all as Burnsey. His good mate from high school was Johnno. Which was a bit of a problem, as that was also his (Johnno's) father's nickname. Burnsey's father, on the other hand, was called Bluey.

Initials, or even acronyms, are also common. My husband is known to his uni mates as JD; my work colleague is mostly known as MT; many people don't even know that my aunt's real name isn't Lin, that it's just an acronym of her given names. Plays on names also happen - a uni friend called Mick Rouse, aka Rick Mouse, just ended up being called Mouse.

Ironic names are also pretty widespread. Shorty for someone tall, Bluey for someone with red hair, and a bald man might be called Curly. Or Kojak. Literal sometime also works - a white haired bloke will be Snowy

And me? I call myself Ab, prefer Abs to the myriad spellings of Abi/Abbey/Abbie/Abey/Abbi, but usually get called Abigail. And my nom de net is a variant of my given name, as mangled by a then two-year old friend.

What about you?