Nicknames.

Most of us have them at sometime in their lives. Some people are better known by their nicknames then by the names they were given by their parents and some nicknames are probably less embarrasing then the ones we are given. Many nicknames unfortunately belong to periods of our lives that are best forgotten but however much they slide into blessed disuse you can bet your life that some annoying person with more memory then sense will continue to use it on every occasion possible.

The question arises though, how son after meeting someone you should begin to use their nickname. I would have thought that you would have had to establish some sort of friendly relationship first And its probably a sign of overfamiliararity if you try to shorten or interfere with an existing nickname. Its that sort of thing that can lead to the end of potentially beautiful friendships.