Common Place

1. Pencil Neck
2. Rabbit Teeth
3. Chubbykins
4. Short Stuff
5. Jynjiggie (phonetic spelling of an Igbo [Nigerian] term for a short stocky person.
6. Big and Bad
7. Junior


The above are all nicknames my father had for me when i was growing up. Pencil Neck was used in passing. It was usually used when my mom bought us new clothes and we were doing the at home fashion show. Ex. "Nice shirt Pencil Neck." -or- "Oh honey, she looks so cute with that Pencil Neck!!"

When i was in the 8-10 year old phase where my teeth were fully grown and too big for my face, my father FLAGRANTLY referred to me as Rabbit Teeth. "Ok, i love you, goodnight, Rabbit Teeth."


I had a doll named Chubbykins. She was my first doll. Her chocolate brown skin identical to mine; her soft pillow body confused me. I took her everywhere. Chubbykins was what dad called me for a whiiiiiiiiile!

He still calls me short stuff today. He's maybe 2 inches taller than me. I think it makes him feel tall. I like that nickname. My dear fiancé actually called me short stuff randomly once. It was so endearing.



Almost every Nigerian adult that i've known since childhood calls me Jynjiggie. My dad said it so often it might as well have been my name.

Big and Bad came along during my pre-teen to mid teen fat phase. I thought i knew everything and i was big. I guess my dad only knew how to react with a nickname that was trivial to me, but would have given many teen girls a complex! My dad had lovingly been making fun of my sister and i since we were wee little lasses. Nothing was off limits!!

I'm pretty handy. I helped my dad build anything that was ever built in our house growing up. He's said, "C'mon Junior, let's put together this table". We were best buds -- two peas in pod.

He's still one of my best friends on Earth, insulting nicknames and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!