Nicknames

More: DAG (Grennell), MZB (Bradley), TAJ (Johnstone), SaM (Moskowitz), GMC (Carr), The Elephant, Coswal (Coslet), Agberg (Silverberg), Billern (Ellern), ATom (Thomson), BJohn (Bjo & John Trimble), Bosh (Shaw), Dikini (Eney), Scribe JH (Harness), Squirrel (Ellik, also known as Ronel). Forrest J. Ackerman has the largest collection: 4sj, FJA, 4ë, Fojak, Mr. Science Fiction, and others.

And it wasn't just people who had nicknames: There is an old tradition of giving cons and fanzines nicknames.

Cons: Connie, MilPhil, Iggy.
Fanzines: Fanny, Q, Shaggy.

Tag Cloud: See also the Fancyclopedia 3 tag cloud for Nickname.

from Fancyclopedia 2 ca. 1959

Besides penames and the usual English nicknames, Bob, Jack, Don, Bill, ktp, fans use several kinds of distinctive monickers. Some are a sort of Demolishism, like 4e/4sj, DaV, ATom, Tripoli, and r-tRapp (Forrie/Forrest J Ackerman, Dave Rike, Arthur Thomson, E Everett Evans and Art Rapp). Similar are various combinations and unEnglish corruptions of first and last names, exemplia gratia JoCa, Eshm, SaM, Morojo, Urk Buncliff, and Goon Bleary (Joan Carr, Ron Fleshman [in imitation of pro-artist Ed Emshwiller, "Emsh"], Sam Moskowitz [or sometimes -Martinez], Myrtle R Douglas, Eric Bentcliffe, and John Berry. Something different are names based on various personal characteristics: The Amiable Bulldozer, the Newark Neanderthal, Foghorn Samuel, Scribe JH, Squirrel, Sweet Unspoiled Miss Nanshare, and Small Sister Lindsay. (William Rotsler, from his disposition and build; Sam Moskowitz, from his residence and physique; ditto, because of his voice; Jack Harness, Scientological "priest", from the Rosicrucians' designation of their illuminati; Ron Ellik, from Boyd Raeburn's comment that Ronel was careless and irresponsible and reminded him (Raeburn) of a silly little squirrel running around aimlessly; Nancy Share, that rosy-cheeked flower of Pennsylvania girlhood; and Ethel Lindsay, who's short and a Nursing Sister [Registered Nurse].) There are also several names used as official which aren't legally the bearers', like Bob Tucker. from Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement ca. 1960: "nobody ever called Kornbluth Cy in my hearing," says damon knight a bit grimly, "and I think I have a fairly good general idea of how he would have reacted if anybody had."