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Author Topic: Pointless Question that's driving me nuts
Jeesh
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I'm reading the Alvin Maker series, and I was wondering about Peggy's name. How do you go from Margret to Peggy? No one in my family knows, and I can't figure it out. Anyone know?
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rivka
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It's not much odder that Dick for Richard, or Ted for Edward.

Ask the Straight Dope!
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Jeesh
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I get it now. My brother had the same idea, but it was more confusing.
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pH
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I always thought Ted was for Theodore.

-pH
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rivka
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It is. But it can also be for Edward, as in Ted Kennedy.
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Sterling
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Babynames.com lists "Margaret" as Latin, meaning "A pearl", and Peggy as being Celtic/Gaelic. It may be some sort of linguistic transition between languages, or a misheard consonant.

Addition: "Peigi" is apparently Celtic for "pearl". So the Latin is Margaret, the Celtic is Peigi, or Peggy... And one becomes synonymous with the other.
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Soara
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Also, why is Bob the more common nickname for Robert, instead of Rob?
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Baron Samedi
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And my name is Matthew, but for some reason everyone calls me Jackass.
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Libbie
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I don't get it, either. People make strange jumps between given names and nicknames, though. For example, my first name is Melissa, but I go by my middle name. Everybody I meet just assumes that Libbie is a short form of Melissa that they've just never heard before until I show them my driver's license.
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Mike
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The Libby I know is short for Elizabeth, which seems pretty straightforward. I'm not sure how you'd get Libbie from Melissa, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
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rivka
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Libby can also be short for Lisbeth, or a given name in its own right.

And in Hebrew (well, it would be Leeby, but close enough) it means "my heart." [Smile]
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crystal-city
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Does anyone know how you get Sally as a nickname for Sarah?
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BlackBlade
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Margaret--->Maggy---->Meg (or perhaps Meggy)----->Peggy

Is that believable?

edit:

Just read Rivka's The Straigh Dope link (didnt see it before ;P:

Or that could be the answer too!
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ricree101
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quote:
Originally posted by rivka:
It's not much odder that Dick for Richard, or Ted for Edward.
Those two aren't that hard to think of a plausible progression for.

Richard -> Rick -> Dick
Edward -> Ed -> Ted

Margaret to Peggy is definitely harder, although what BlackBlade said sounds plausible.
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King of Men
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quote:
Originally posted by crystal-city:
Does anyone know how you get Sally as a nickname for Sarah?
A childish mis-pronunciation as 'Salah', plus cuteness.
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breyerchic04
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Sarah is Kala in hawaian. Other than that I don't know, I'm not willing to be called Sally.
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