The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #110431   Message #2316411
Posted By: Azizi
15-Apr-08 - 01:47 PM
Thread Name: Origins: A Willy Question!
Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
Maybe I should note that I was guessing that wind up might mean argument. I'd never heard that phrase before I read it being used on Mudcat. Maybe it doesn't mean argument at all, and only means "joke".

Also, I didn't know that "willie" in slang terms meant the same thing as "Dick', and "Peter" until I read it on Mudcat. I also had never heard any "Willie" rhymes until I read them on Mudcat. So that means I still haven't "heard" them...

As to greg stephens' point that those nicknames and double names and nicknames are quintessentially American-yeah, I agree. Needless to say, I think a lot of this is because of the heavy influence of African American culture. Not to get heavy duty, but the belief in the power of a person's name was held throughout much of ancient Africa, including Egypt. My position is that to a large extent this accounts for the custom among African Americans and other people in the African Diaspora of having at least one nickname, and often multiple nicknames throughout our lives, and sometimes having more than one nickname at the same time.

And, in the true Mudcat spirit of shameless self-promotion, I'll take this opportunity to post a link to my webpages on the origins and meanings of selected "non-standard" American personal names & micknames:
http://cocojams.com/names.htm