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Contents
List
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Nicknames (Staff)
Nicknames (Pupils)
Slang
This list has to be taken in the right spirit! OK, a few nicknames imply disrespect (at least), but there are also those that hide indirect affection. We were teenagers and didn't begin to understand the motives behind the regime that controlled and constrained us. All we knew was that it caused us grief from time to time & these labels were one way of getting our own back.
Please forward more names - but don't include current members of staff or Anglo-Saxon profanity (although we maybe thought in such terms!).
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Surname |
Nickname |
Secondary Nickname/Remarks |
| D. J. Anderson | Jesus | Main RE teacher and College Chaplain. Also known as "Handy Andy." |
| Mr Anderson (Keith? - Physics) | Elfie | Early 70s. 'He was so called because he was very short and had an elf-like face. We used to sit cross-legged on the lab stools, singing "what's it all about, Elfie." |
| Appleyard | Pip | . |
| Auckland (PE) | Square Jaw | . |
| Ronald Eyre (French) | Pubic | . |
| Baker (Music) | Gutty | See Wrench. |
| Baumohl | Bum-hole | . |
| Dick Bawden (History) | Biffo | Sap |
| Miss Blogg (Geography) | Fred | . |
| Keith Boothroyd | Rubberoid | Stickyfeet; due to squeaky shoes. Al Dean: 'he never caught anyone talking after lights out!' |
| Bootle | Deathwatch | As in Deathwatch beetle/Bootle. |
| Bower (English) | Cedric | |
| Bowman (German) | The Major | Ken |
| Mike Brand (Science) | Poof |
One of
the 'Chemical Brothers.' Alternatives were: (1) Slick. (2) Penguin (resemblance to Batman character). (3) Brandex or Brand Y for obvious reasons to those he taught. |
| Brayshaw | Baggage | Wells/Fry Matron |
| Carter (Geology) | Esker | |
| Chedgey (Art) | Chedge | . |
| Miss Chipperfield (Geography) | Chips | |
| Cooney (Science) | Lab Looney | . |
| Miss Cooper (French) | Miss Piggy | . |
| Coutts (Economics) | Daddy | First three initials were P.A.H. |
| Davenport (Biology) | Dolly | She was too .... Cor! |
| Barry Davies (History) | Sludge | . |
| Davis (Graphics) | Caveman | . |
| Keith Davitte | Taffy | . |
| Miss Gladys Dolan (Salisbury/Fry boys' Matron 'til 1976) | Scrotum | Related to an inspection maybe? An anonymous girl relates 'Scrotum got her nickname because she was wrinkled and hairy, per 1971 dormitory discussions.' |
| Dorling (Science) | Rat | 'Diddy Dorling' |
| Mike Doughty (Maths) | MAD | His initials |
| Eric Dudley (Physics) | Yuk | 'Cuddly' and 'dric eudly' - an anagram coined by William Slegg. Yuk was a part-time Anglia TV weatherman in the 1960s. |
| Misses Edwards & Wilson |
Shot & Javelin
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Admin staff who also ran the Tuck Shop in the 50s & 60s. It is also thought they were known as Ebb and Flo. In 1957 they were sharing a truncated nissen hut on High Street, later demolished to make way for Fry Hall. Miss Edwards was short and stout and Miss Wilson was tall and robust (but not fat) and had a heart of gold, in spite of a formidable appearance. |
| Edwards (History) | EJ | . |
| Entwistle | Billie | 'Diamond' (more faces than an uncut one) |
| Miss Fisher (Art / Kett Housemistress) | Fishy | . |
| Freeburn (Computing) | Freebie | . |
| Mr Freeman (Art) | Freddy | |
| Roger Garrard | Froggy | . |
| Dave Goman | Daish | Malcolm Fairhurst (Chemistry) coined the phrase 'Holy Goman Empire' - hence 'I'm off up the Empire.' |
| Mr Gooday (Second Master & Languages) | Benny Hill | Bash/Bible Basher ... though one of the nicest members of staff I encountered in my time there - Nigel Utting |
| Graham (English) | Harmony | See anecdote on the Fireworks & Festivities page |
| Graham (Science) | Billy | |
| Miss Greenacre (Matron of Gloucester until approx 1968) | Gusher | 'Gushing' was a WC term for talking too much. |
| Hall | Duckie | 'Genesis' after a track we used to listen to by Fairport Convention
called 'Genesis Hall' - Ian Gom eche.Also called 'Drongo.' |
| Rev. Hanrahan | God | . |
| Rev. Hare (Chaplain, RE/Drama) | The Cool Rev. | . |
| Harris | Wee Willie | A skiffle idol in the late 50's |
| Hawkyard (Maths) | Jack | |
| Hayton-Williams (PE) | Jockstrap | . |
| Herrington | Dibble | Green ('I'm not GREEN you know'). Dibble was a cartoon character in the Boss Cat cartoon (late 50's). |
| Hibbert | Hardie | Flo. Big Jim. The Coathanger Kid (shoulders were so far back that he appeared to have coathanger still in his jacket - Al Dean). |
| Mrs Hill (Canterbury/Kett Matron) | Skunky | . |
| Ms. Hillier (Dep. Housemistress, Cavell, Economics) | Viv Biv | . |
| Hoare (Housemaster, Cavell, History) | Keeno | Hernandez. See the anecdote on the Fireworks & Festivities page |
| Graeme Hobday | Garth | Named after a superman-type character in a newspaper (Mirror?) comic strip 1950s/60s |
| Miss Jackson (PE) | Hitler | . |
| Dr. Joyner (Science) | Doc | Juvey |
| Mr Koziura (PE) | Kozzy | . |
| Laughton (Maths) | (Colonel) Ping | Part-time Anglia TV weatherman 1960s. Said someone: 'Ping, my maths teacher, got his name due to a delightful habit of picking his nose, rolling it into ball, and pinging it across the room. I kid you not.' |
| Lewis | Zom | . |
| Little (PE) | Greasy Grit | Also known as "Grittle" |
| D.L. Lockwood | Hell | Due to his initials (his middle name was Leo). Five years after retirement, he came back to rejoin the staff and teach some History because of a long-term illness. However, his stint has now ended again and he's back in retirement. |
| Long | Bunny | ... the teeth |
| Martin, Cliff (old boy & Chemistry teacher) | Kosh/Cosh |
It was simply the base of the French for pig. He was a pretty tubby bloke and always had some food spattered over his blazer and tie. He was in my year/house and it was Jimmy Niblock ( like Cosh another New Third ) who came up with this particular name - Christopher 'Mouse' Moore. |
| Mrs Maas (French) | Karzi | . |
| Miss Mair | Haggis | Housemistress of Westminster. Later Mrs McBeath. |
| Matthews (Head of Languages) | God | . |
| McBeath (Mr) | Wingnut | ... the hair |
| McBeath (Mrs) | McDeath | . |
| T B McConkey (German) | Penguin/Brian | . |
| McClay, Duncan (PE) | Dunc The Hunk | . |
| Metcalfe (Warden) | Muz | . |
| Millington | Spike | . |
| Morley (Creative Design) | Rat | . |
| Moss | Dick Toss | Which one? There were several - Ed. |
| MPBW Workmen (50s/60s) | Thunder & Lightning | MPBW = Ministry of Public Buildings & Works (aka Ministry of Public Blunders and Wonders); later DOE & PSA |
| Neale (Metalwork) | Harry | . |
| Mrs Newlands (Maths) | Munchkin | . |
| Noble | Larry |
As I recall Mr Noble was known as Larry but was also known as Ig(Noble)
- Roger Crouch Took over as Housemaster of Norwich from Orme. |
| Dr Norris | Gerbil | . |
| Norton | Nellie/Nelly | Slug, Gut |
| Miss O'Grady (English) | Junkie | . |
| Palfrey (Geography) | Otto Von Palfrey | little doggie |
| Parker (Music) | BJ | . |
| Sister Pauley | The Boston Strangler | The Boston Mangler |
| Paxton | Tampax | . |
| Miss Pountain (Matron - Kett) | P*ss Mountain | . |
| Poulton | Harry | . |
| Purchase | Ski slope | Also "Beak" - the only man who could smoke an Embassy in the rain without it getting wet; on account of his nose. |
| Mrs Ream (Maths) | Camel | . |
| Reeve (French) | Victor | . |
| Miss Restiaux (Norwich Matron) | Oinks | Variation - "Oicks" |
| Reynolds (Woodwork) | Bastard (after the file!!) | . |
| Russell (Maths) | Charley | |
| Keith Rutherford (Mr) | Piggy | Roly - the other 'Chemical Brother' |
| Rutherford (Mrs) | Chicken | . |
| Andrew Seeley (Metalwork) | EMOD | DOME spelled backwards (large bald head). Also Tonk (the name of his slipper), Chrome Dome, Icabod, Uncle Andrew, Ollie. |
| Shuter (Science, head of RAF CCF) | Biggles | Six-gun or Salad |
| Simpson (Science) | Sinbad | . |
| Rev. Singh (Physics) | Ghandi | . |
| Siviour * | Barrel |
His shape
generated the nickname. * D.R. Staveley, Mr Stockwell and Mr G. Siviour of the Geography Department were known as 'Doc, Stock and Barrel.' |
| Spurling (English/drama) | Spongy | Spunky |
| Staveley * | Doc (initials D.R.) | Cabbage |
| Stockwell * | Stock | . |
| Rev. Tanburn | Tampon | 'Jeremiah Womble' on account of his initials; JWT |
| Maurice Tate (French) | Orme | He prefaced all remarks with "Orme." Took over as Housemaster of Norwich on Ping's (Mr Laughton's) retirement. |
| Taylor | Slashy | . |
| Miss Tebbs (Senior Mistress) |
Old Ma
Tebbs |
. |
| Trevor Terry (Housemaster of East House 5?-61) | Cuth/Cuthbert | . |
| Mrs Therrien (English) | Sue | . |
| Walker | Wackie | Which one? There were several - Ed. |
| Mrs Warren; the Matron of Peel in the late 1970s. | "Buster" or "Buddah" | The latter was a code word for "udder" as she really did have enormous breasts - Ben Carter |
| Weaver (PE) | Shastic | . |
| Wheeldon | Jif | lack of neck |
| Miss Whitmore (Languages) | Olive | Auntie Ollie |
| Wigney (Economics) | Ho-Ho | Wiggers |
| Wilkinson (Mrs) | Baggage 2 | Matron of Wells/Fry. See Miss Brayshaw above. |
| Miss Willetts (Humanities) | Benito | Mini Hitler |
| Williams (PE) | Action Man | Yup, another lookee likee - Nigel Utting |
| Miss Williamson | Wombat | Matron of Cavell |
| Wilson | Tank | Mr JH Wilson of the History Department was known as "Tank" due to his enormous size moving at speed around campus - Ben Carter. |
| Mrs Wilson (History) | Painted Lady | Enthusiastic consumer of cosmetics |
| Wolsey (Warden/Headmaster) | Peanut | The Nut. For the remarkable resemblance of his head to that variety of nut. |
| Mrs Wolsey (Stand In - Head's Wife) | Buddha | . |
| Wood (Languages) | Fred Nurk | . |
| Wood (Physics) | Woody | Wobbly Wood. Mr Stamp & Wobble |
| Woollestone (Languages) | PVC | Le Mouton. Mostly to do with his name, though I seem to recall mutton chop sideburns as well. He also used to 'accidentally' leave a press cutting showing his footballing exploits for Kelvedon Hatch FC on his desk for perusal by all and sundry. I'm amazed that it was never defaced. Nigel Utting |
| Worley (Science) | Davros | Worm or Wozzle |
| Worrall (Biology) | Yogi (son was Boo-Boo) |
Also: (1) CCHW - Charles Cornelius Horatio. (2) In early 60's was K*** R** and Mrs W. was F***** Q***. |
| Wrench (Music) | Gutty or Stench | . |
No, not all of them - just the ones that were well thought-out, unusual or funny.
| Nickname | Derivation |
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Two-maths-physics |
In the mid-Sixties it was fairly unusual for a girl to take maths/science subjects in the 6th Form. Caroline Stubbings was one of the pioneers and gained an appropriate tag. "Caroline was one of two girls who took those subjects in years 63/4 and 64/5. The other was Diane Rogers. Caroline was particularly bright and, I believe, only attended the College for the sixth form years. As a new girl she created something of a stir. By a coincidence she is on the Wells Prefects 1964 photograph. Both girls added a welcome touch of glamour, somewhat different from nerds like me who were the more usual 'double maths' students." - Peter Willimott |
| Blot | Peter goes on to say ... "I, on the other hand, was called 'Williblot' or 'Blot;' christened by Jack Hawkyard in 1958 during my first weeks in the College. In those days biros were practically unheard of and I had a cheap Platignum fountain pen that erupted intermittently over my maths exercise books. Hence the nickname, which stayed with me until 1965." |
Ben Carter writes: One form ..... was taking the first letter of a person's current nickname, and making another name out of that, or else a variant of the system. Thus, Gary Byrne, who had protruding front teeth, was called "Fang," but the F from Fang was then removed leaving "Ang", which was then transformed into "Angstrom Unit". The main variant of this was "Freddy" as in "Freddy Angstrom Unit", thus retaining within the new form the original "Fang,"
There were loads like this. My own
nickname was "Goitre", because I used to do weight-training on my neck
muscles for rugby. At some point I started to be called "Garth", as in
"Garth Oitre".
The greatest proponents of this form of slang were Tim Prouty (now living in
New Mexico), and his sidekick Justin Edrich of the England cricketing family
fame.
| Term | Means | Remarks |
| Bugs | Lower Forms | 'Bugs' was the preferred epithet for day pupils in the late 1970s, and as such I'm surprised that nobody's mentioned it as yet, since it was in very common use. Nigel Utting (1976-81) |
| Club, The | Building 121 | Ex-Hospital Canteen, the word 'Club' was visible above the door. Used as a Common Room by (at least) North House. |
| Day Mongs | Sixth form day pupils | . |
| Doobies | Cooks | . |
| Empire, The | Tech Drawing Office (Building 91) | 'The Holy Goman Empire' - ruled by Dave Goman |
| Fabby-doo | Extension of 'fab' | Invented by ????? c.1964 |
| Gumbies |
Grounds, maintenance & ancillary staff
- those who did the
humping, heaving and repairs. |
'One of the gumbies in the 1970s had the sensitive name of Rawballs. Never knew why (wore dark glasses - more likely to be an eye condition than a fashion statement).' |
| Gush (vb.) | To talk too much. | Noun - Gusher |
| Heebs (1970s) | Lower Forms | Hebrew slaves. Christopher 'Mouse' Moore (70-77) writes: "Canterbury/Kett used the term heeb/hebe all the time. Tick was prevelant in the other houses, particularly Salisbury/Fry hall, and pleb not used at all, as far as I can recall in the 70s. I thought that hebe came from 'Hebe' who was the human granted semi-mortal status as he alone (of mankind) was granted the privilege to serve the Gods on Mt. Olympus. My brother (at Wymondham four or five years before) only used the term hebe." |
| High Street | Road fronting Fry and Cavell Halls | . |
| Licks | Teacher's pets | 50s/60s term (short for lick-arse) |
| On the Tin | Going out together = Going with | Stephen Dobbin
writes:
'On the tin' as in: 'I see Kevin Hathaway and Maggie Cockburn are still on the tin.' was STAFF slang for pupils 'going out together'. The derivation is this: The senior playground was |
| Plebs (1960s) | Lower Forms | In the 60's, at least, 'plebs' was
used pretty exclusively in the College, while the CGS - which my brother was in - favoured 'heebs.' I never heard the word 'ticks' used at all - Ian Gom eche. |
| Spas/Spaz | Hopeless, pathetic | From 'spastic' |
| Squatters | Boarders | With the new species of day pupils permeating the school, boarders were awarded their own nick name - Caroline Hoskin (87-94) |
| Ticks (1970s onward) | Lower Forms | The term made it through the late eighties and into the nineties ('87 - 94) - Caroline Hoskin |
| Yonks | A very long time | e.g. I've been waiting here (for) yonks! |
Wymondham College Remembered