Great British Nicknames Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tyke

Folk from Yorkshire refer to their home place as "God's Own County". Various theories abound, but "tyke" may well have come from the Old Norse word for a female dog. It became common for people from the county to use it extensively towards the dogs, and, perhaps playfully, towards errant children. The first written reference dates to 169. The Oxford English District noted that the term "tyke" may once have been considered derogatory by Yorkshire people but now was "accepted and owned [by them]".

Yorkshire has produced many famous folk, among them aviatrix Amy Johnson, authors Barbara Taylor Bradford - and, of course, the Brontė sisters - and 'Star Trek' captain, Sir Patrick Stewart

Answer: Yam Yams

"Yam yams" comes from the local dialect in which people would say "yam" when they meant "you are". Supporters of Wolverhampton Football Club are referred to as "yam yams", also and take it as a badge of honour.

Wolverhampton is in the centre of England, an area that has has maintained many local accents while others have lost theirs. It is an accent that, particularly in rural area, retains traits of the past. Generally, people in the area are proud of the way they speak. Wolverhampton has been at the forefront of many developments over the centuries. Its growth began with the woolen industry and then coal mining and steel production.

Among the famous people born in Wolverhampton were actors Frances Barber ans Arthur Ridley, poet Alfred Noyes, and operatic singer Dame Maggie Teyte.

Answer: Geordies

The description "Geordie" is very familiar far and wide. People from the town are also know as Mags, short for Magpies. There are several theories on how the nickname originated. One is that coal mining once dominated the area in which Geordies live and in about 1914 the industrialist and inventor George Stevenson invented the 'Geordie Lamp' to make working underground safer. A much older theory is that a Jacobite army was denied entry into Newcastle by supporters of King George III during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. King George was known as "Geordie", hence the name applied to his supporters.

In 1974, the singer Alan Price had a UK number six hit with a song about the Jarrow parade of the 1920s to demand jobs. He sang:
"Come on follow the Geordie boys, They'll fill your heart with joy
They're marching for their freedom now
Come on follow the Jarrow lads, They'll make your heart feel glad
They're singing now, yes now is the hour..."

In 2019, a popular British newspaper carried out a survey to find "Top 50 sexiest British accents". It placed the Geordie accent at number seven.

Famous Geordies include rock stars Eric Burdon, Sting, and Chas Chandler, actor/comedian Rowan Atkinson, and actor Jill Halfpenny.

Answer: Scousers

"Scouser", also scouse or Micky Mouse, again, are familiar nicknames. Scouse was a type of meaty stew associated with Liverpool. Is it an offensive term?, you may well ask. A discussion on a website devoted to supporters of Liverpool FC was clear: no. Many from Liverpool will happily describe themselves as "scousers".

When "The Sun" newspaper carried out a survey in 2019 to find "Top 50 sexiest British accents". It placed the Liverpool accent at number seven.(Probably not many people in Liverpool read the original article, as many continued to boycott that particular newspaper in protest over offensive remarks it made about Liverpool Football Club supporters at the Hillsborough Stadium disaster in 1989).

Famous scousers include The Beatles, actors Michael Sheen, Kim Cattrall, Rex Harrison, and Daniel Craig.

Answer: Weegie

"Weegie" is considered a plural term. Perhaps this may once have had derogative connotations, but some wear it as a badge of pride. In 2019, the term was introduced to the Oxford University Dictionary. It comes from the title "Glaswegian". The first use of the word is thought to stem from Irvine Welsh's 1983 novel "Trainspotting", which was not set in Glasgow, but in Edinburgh.

Supporting the transformation from insult to acceptance, in December 2019 the "Glasgow Evening Times" devoted an article to "100 Glaswegian words that prove you are from Glasgow". It used the word "weegie" 100 times. The Glasgow accent was placed at number three in a list to find "Top 50 sexiest British accents" in 2019.

As benefits its place as the one time second city of the British Empire, Glasgow has produced many famous sons and daughters. Among them actor/comedian/singer Billy Connolly, actors Gordon Jackson and Bill Paterson, and inventor John Logie Baird.

Answer: Doonhamers

Dumfries is a town in the south of Scotland. The nickname "Doonhamer" comes from a dialect in which a person who has traveled north from there says "am gan doon hame". ("I am going down home"). Doonhamers is a proud nickname of Queen of the South Football Club, which is also known simply as "Queens". If you feel like dancing after this quiz, you could try the "Doonhamer Delight", a Scottish dance developed by Rachel Shankland, a native of Dumfries.

Famous people connected to Dumfries include Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, who lived here in the 1790s, while J M Barry, creator of Peter Pan, lived there for a few years in the 1870s.

Answer: McCooeys

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and the name "McCooeys" for its residents comes from the radio programme "The McCooeys", the story of a working class Belfast family, which was broadcast on radio from 1949 for seven years. It also became a stage show.

Going back to that list to find Britain's "Top 50 sexiest accents", the Belfast and Northern Ireland accent was at number two. To prove that 'best and worst' lists can be problematic, the number one accent was that of...Essex. (As the possessor of a Northern Ireland accent, this quiz author was staggered to find it listed so high.)

Famous people from Belfast include footballer George Best, actor Kenneth Brannagh, and author C. S. Lewis.

Answer: Monkey Hangers

"Monkey Hanger" originates from an incident that supposedly took place in the Napoleonic Wars between France and Great Britain. The story goes that a French ship was blown ashore in a storm. A monkey survived. The people of Hartlepool had never seen a Frenchman before, let alone a monkey come to that, and mistook the gibbering of the poor creature for the French language. So, they hanged it.

While some question if the incident ever took place, people from the town have accepted the nickname. Hartlepool Football Club has a mascot - H'angus - a man in a monkey suit wearing the team's shirt. Hartlepool Rovers Rugby Football Club has a monkey on its crest.

Famous people from the town include authors Reginald Hill and Sir Compton Mackenzie, and one-time Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Jeremy Spencer

Answer: Turks

Several explanations are offered for calling people from Llanelli "turks" One is that during a dock strike in Swansea in the 1920s, a Turkish ship could not unload and was sent to Llanelli instead. A second explanation is that workers in tinplate mills would wrap towels around their heads to absorb sweat in the high temperatures. Another is that a regiment from the town fought against the Turkish Empire in World War I.

As with many nicknames, "Turks" may initially have been meant in a disparaging way, but Llanelli folk seem to have taken it to heart as a symbol of their spirit and fighting qualities. The local Rugby Union team club may well have an official nickname of "The Scarlets", but they also glory in the name "Turks".

Famous "Turks" include the actors Trystan Gravelle and Rachel Roberts.

Answer: Godivas

The "Godiva" nickname for people from Coventry is associated with the fable of Lady Godiva who rode naked through the streets in the 13th Century. Lady Godiva was a real person who lived in about 900AD and was noted for her generosity. Legend had it she rode naked, with her blushes spared only by her long hair, to protest at what she felt were unfair taxes imposed by her husband.

The story of 'Peeping Tom' is associated with this fabled occurrence. He was the only one who could see she was naked. The account, though, was added later. Legend has it he was instantly blinded. Statues of both Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom can be seen in Coventry city centre. The legend also inspired a Belgian chocolate maker to adopt the name "Godiva" for his company.

Famous "Godivas" include actor Gillian Barber and musicians Melissa Graham, Julianne Regan, and Steven A. Williams