How do you get Dick from Richard?

[Mucho]

I once met a guy name Dick Wood I said your parents must have a sense of humor, he just look puzzled. 🙂

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

About as good as it gets.

 

[Amused]

Richard and Ricard were equally popular in the Middle Ages, and the abbreviations led naturally to diminutives--such as Rich, Richie, Rick, and Ricket. Rhyming nicknames were also fairly common in the 12th and 13th centuries, and so we also have Hitch from Rich, Hick and Dick from Rick, and Hicket from Ricket. Some of these later became surnames or parts of surnames. We note that while Dick endures as a nickname, "Hick" has thankfully become obsolete, except when tied to "Dick" in rhymes such as "Hickory, Dickory, Dock."

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: RaDragon

Originally posted by: j511180
I've wondered the samething. Also, how is Bill derived from William, and Bob from Robert...and Jim from James. I guess if I wasn't so lazy I could do a little research...........

Jack from John.

Harry from Henry.

...and so on. Anglo-names are complex!

I always thought Harry = Harold

 

[meltdown75]

:laugh:

great thread title. heheh

 

[jjones]

Originally posted by: xcript
Ask him nicely.

And maybe buy him a :beer:

 

[Jzero]

From this day forward, I hearby declare eggs...not to be...a fruit!
And furthermore, no longer shall dirty diapers be accepted as legal tender!
Hang on, I got one more.
Henceforth, those named Henry will no longer be allowed to call themselves Hank. That's just too much of a stretch.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Richard->Rich->Rick->Dick

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: xcript
Ask him nicely.

Well done :thumbsup:

 

[vood0g]

sheesh, i thought every "tom, dick or harry" would know the answer to this question.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Ted from Edward?
Jack from John?

 

[cerebusPu]

Originally posted by: xcript
Ask him nicely.

i was gonna say....get on your knees and open your purdy mouth.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: J Heartless Slick
Ted from Edward?
Jack from John?

Ted from Edward was explained in the Straightdope article. Scroll up.

 

[scorpmatt]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
About as good as it gets.

"...the mound around a ditch," I got to this point in the article and couldn't continue on. LOL

 

[jjones]

What I want to know is how does Dick, Willy, Peter, Johnson and Wang all come to mean the same thing? 😛

 

[richardycc]

because once upon a time, there was a man named Richard, and he had the biggest dick in the world, so from then on, we call Richard, dick to honor this big dick man....