Quiz Monkey |
See also: Famous Nicknames, Nicknames (Places and Things). And some of the ones listed below are also in Boxing (History) or Snooker.
Note: if setting questions on this topic, take care to distinguish between those that are actual nicknames and those that are one–off descriptions. The classic example of this is Anne of Cleves (see below) who, as my entry makes clear, was once referred to by Henry VIII as "a Flanders mare". Whether he ever used this phrase again, let alone whether anyone else dared to refer to her in these terms, is not recorded; but I'm pretty sure that to describe it as a nickname (as many question setters do) is well wide of the mark.
Q: Who is/was (sometimes) known as ... ? | A: | |
The Old Fox (German statesman) | Konrad Adenauer | |
God's Cop (Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, 1975–91) | James Anderton | |
The Hockey Stick | Julie Andrews | |
Flanders Mare (described thus by Henry VIII after he first met her) | Anne of Cleves | |
Brandy Nan | Queen Anne | |
The Angelic Doctor, the Dumb Ox (13th century theologian) | St. Thomas Aquinas | |
Satchmo (Satchel–mouth) | Louis Armstrong | |
The Scourge of God ("Ego sum ... flagelum dei" – first attributed in 1387) | Attila the Hun | |
The Singing Cowboy (1907–98) | Gene Autry | |
The English or London Bach (11th son of Johann Sebastian Bach) | Johann Christian Bach | |
Dr. Mirabilis (13th Century Franciscan philosopher) | Roger Bacon | |
Il Divin Codino – The Divine Ponytail (Italy footballer, 1988–2004) | Roberto Baggio | |
Toom Tabard (English–backed king of Scotland, 1292–6) | John Balliol | |
The Butcher of Lyon (convicted Nazi war criminal) | Klaus Barbie | |
Glorious John (English conductor, 1899–1970) | Sir John Barbirolli | |
The Kaiser (German footballer) | Franz Beckenbauer | |
Father of English History (672–735) | Bede | |
The King of Calypso (singer, born New York 1927) | Harry Belafonte | |
The Sherminator (England Test batsman, 2004–15) | Ian Bell | |
The Dark Destroyer (boxer) | Nigel Benn | |
The Non–Flying Dutchman (footballer) | Dennis Bergkamp | |
The Iron Chancellor | Otto von Bismarck | |
Marschall Vorwärts (Marshal Forward): Prussian field marshal, so named by his soldiers because of his aggressive approach in battle | Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher | |
The Warrior Queen | Boudicca (Boadecia) | |
The Liberator (South American revolutionary) | Simon Bolivar | |
The Cat (Chelsea & England goalkeeper, 7 caps 1966–70) | Peter Bonetti | |
The Bounding Basque (French tennis player – one of the 'Four Musketeers') | Jean Borotra | |
Die Groot Krokodil (the Great Crocodile) – President of South Africa, 1984–9 | P. W. Botha | |
Guy the Gorilla, Beefy | Ian Botham | |
The 'It' Girl (after appearing as a plucky shopgirl in the 1927 film It) | Clara Bow | |
The Thin White Duke | David Bowie | |
Chippy (Arsenal midfielder, 1970s/80s) | Liam Brady | |
The Crafty Cockney (darts player, who dominated the sport in the early 1980s) | Eric Bristow | |
The Godfather of Soul | James Brown | |
The Wizard, Oracle or Sage of Omaha (American businessman, investor and philanthropist, born in Omaha in 1930) | Warren Buffet | |
The First Granny (1988–92) | Barbara Bush | |
La Divina (operatic soprano, 1923–77) | Maria Callas | |
The Man with the Golden Trumpet (1950s) | Eddie Calvert | |
God's Banker (found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge, 1982) | Roberto Calvi | |
Scarface | Al Capone | |
The Sage of Chelsea (Scottish–born writer, 1795–1881) | Thomas Carlyle | |
The King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings (French haute cuisine pioneer, 1784–1833) | Marie–Antoine Carême | |
The Ambling Alp (World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, 1933 – 6' 9” tall) | Primo Carnera | |
Gorgeous Georges, The Orchid Man (French boxer) | Georges Carpentier | |
The Man in Black | Johnny Cash | |
Known to US intelligence services as The Beard | Fidel Castro | |
The Manx Missile (cyclist, born in 1985 and widely recognised as one of the greatest sprinters of all time) | Mark Cavendish | |
The King of Comedy | Charlie Chaplin | |
The Merry Monarch; Old Rowley (after a particularly libidinous stallion) | Charles II | |
The Red Fox (English athlete and later government minister) | Christopher Chataway | |
The Queen of Crime | Agatha Christie | |
Slowhand (English blues–influenced rock guitarist) | Eric Clapton | |
The Peasant Poet | John Clare | |
Sniffer (English footballer, 1960s & 70s) | Allan Clarke | |
The Louisville Lip (prior to his conversion to Islam and name change) | Cassius Clay | |
The Tiger (French Prime Minister 1906–9 and 1917–20) | Georges Clemenceau | |
Given the code name Energy by the US Secret Service in 1993 (aged 12) | Chelsea Clinton | |
The Georgia Peach (US baseball star, 1886–1961 – played 1905–28) | Ty (Tyrus R.) Cobb | |
The Big Fella (Irish revolutionary leader, 1890–1922) | Michael Collins | |
The Celtic Warrior (Irish world champion boxer, 1990s) | Steve Collins | |
The Brylcreem Boy (English cricketer, 1950s) | Denis Compton | |
The Big Yin (Scots form of The Big 'un) | Billy Connolly | |
Little Mo | Maureen Connolly | |
Gentleman Jim (born 1866) | James John Corbett | |
The Fleetwood Assassin | Jane Couch | |
The Jarrow Arrow (British athlete, later a television presenter and commentator) | Steve Cram | |
The Clothes Horse | Joan Crawford | |
The Coonskin Congressman; King of the Wild Frontier | Davy Crockett | |
Old Ironsides | Oliver Cromwell | |
Queer Dick, Tumbledown Dick | Richard Cromwell | |
The Old Groaner | Bing Crosby | |
The Butcher of Culloden (Prince William, 3rd son of George II) | Duke of Cumberland | |
Father of the Atom (English physicist) | John Dalton | |
Wild Thing, Long John, The Lion (US golfer – Open champion 1995) | John Daly | |
Merv the Swerve (Welsh rugby captain – 68 caps, 1968–76) | Mervyn Davies | |
The World's Oldest Virgin (American actress, 1922–2019) | Doris Day | |
Prince of Darkness (jazz musician, 1926–91) | Miles Davis | |
The (Ginger) Nugget (snooker player) | Steve Davis | |
The Golden Boy (US boxer, born 1973 – Super Featherweight to Middleweight) | Oscar de la Hoya | |
Kid Blackie, The Manassa Mauler | Jack Dempsey | |
Public Enemy No. 1 (shot by FBI agents, 1934) | John Dillinger | |
The Yankee Clipper | Joe di Maggio | |
The King of Blackpool | Reginald Dixon | |
White Lightning (South African fast bowler, 1990s–2000s) | Allan Donald | |
The King of Skiffle (title of a 2000 compilation album) – d. 2002 | Lonnie Donegan | |
The Blackpool Tower (6' 8" English rugby footballer – 57 caps, 1985–91) | Wade Dooley | |
The Paddington Express (British middleweight boxer, world champion 1961–2; died in 2017, aged 81) | Terry Downes | |
Stone Fist | Roberto Duran | |
Nickname shared by U2 guitarist Dave Evans and the former WWF wrestler Adrian Copeland | (The) Edge | |
The Wizard of Menlo Park (so dubbed in a newspaper report) | Thomas Edison | |
The Hammer of the Scots (Malleus Scotorum), Longshanks | Edward I | |
The Peacemaker | Edward VII | |
The Virgin Queen | Elizabeth I | |
The Big Easy (South African golfer) | Ernie Els | |
The King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings | Auguste Escoffier | |
The Black Pearl, or The Black Panther | Eusebio (not Pelé) | |
The Preston Plumber (1950s footballer) | Tom Finney | |
Jubilee Jim, The Barnum of Wall Street | James Fisk | |
The First Lady of Song, the Queen of Jazz (1917–96) | Ella Fitzgerald | |
The Queen of Soul (was literally crowned onstage with this title in 1968); died in 2018, aged 76 | Aretha Franklin | |
Fluff (Australian–born, British–based radio disc jockey) | Alan Freeman | |
The Bearded Wonder, or Bearders (scorer and statistician on BBC Test Match Special, from 1966 until his death in 2009) | Bill Frindall | |
The King of Hollywood (voted in 1938 by readers of Ed Sullivan's newspaper column) | Clark Gable | |
The Man with the Golden Flute (born Belfast 1939; principal flautist of the Berlin Philharmonic, 1969–75, left to pursue a solo career) | James Galway | |
Bapu (father) | Mahatma Gandhi | |
El Niño (Spanish golfer, born 1980) | Sergio Garcia el nino | |
Big Bird (West Indian fast bowler) | Joel Garner | |
The Queen of MGM (1940s) | Greer Garson | |
Farmer George | George III | |
Prinny (when heir to the throne); The First Gentleman of Europe | George IV | |
Dizzy (Australian cricketer, later first team coach of Yorkshire) | Jason Gillespie | |
The People's William, or the G. O. M. (Grand Old Man) | W. E. Gladstone | |
King of Jungle (as opposed to King of the Jungle) – real name Clifford Price | Goldie | |
The King of Swing (US bandleader, 1909–86) | Benny Goodman | |
The Doctor, The Old Man, or The Champion | W. G. Grace | |
The Fen Tiger | Dave 'Boy' Green | |
The Nine Days' Queen | Lady Jane Grey | |
Mr. Five Percent (Turkish–born oil magnate, 1896 – 1955) | Calouste Gulbenkian | |
Marvelous (US Middleweight boxer, 1980s) | Marvin Hagler | |
The Lion of Judah (self–styled) | Haile Selassie | |
Diddy Dave (David) | David Hamilton | |
Father of the Blues | W. C. Handy | |
The Rochdale Cowboy (after his only hit single) | Mike Harding | |
The original Platinum Blonde, and the original Blonde Bombshell | Jean Harlow | |
Chopper (Chelsea defender – 655 League games, 1961–80) | Ron Harris | |
Bean, Hawk (jazz tenor saxophonist) | Coleman Hawkins | |
The Father of the Symphony, Papa Joseph | Joseph Haydn | |
The Black Bradman | George Headley | |
The Hitman (US welterweight boxer, 1980s) | Thomas Hearns | |
The Grocer | Edward Heath | |
The Queen of Mean (billionaire New York hotel operator, d. 2007) | Leona Helmsley | |
Beauclerk (English king – because of his scholarly inclinations) | Henry I | |
The Father of History (ancient Greek historian) | Herodotus | |
The Dancing Destroyer (Nigerian–born British heavyweight and cruiserweight boxer) | Herbie Hide | |
The Hurricane | Alex Higgins | |
The Wizard of Wishaw (snooker player, world champion 1998 and 2007) | John Higgins | |
The Rabbi (TV football pundit) | Jimmy Hill | |
Le blaireau (the Badger – French cyclist, born 1954) | Bernard Hinault | |
The father of medicine (ancient Greek physician) | Hippocrates | |
The Master (England cricketer – scored 5,410 runs in 61 Tests, 1908–30) | Jack Hobbs | |
The Ettrick Shepherd (Scottish poet) | James Hogg | |
Whispering Death (West Indies bowler, 1980s – nickname coined by English umpire Dickie Bird) | Michael Holding | |
Lady Day | Billie Holiday | |
The Real Deal (undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion, 1990–2) | Evander Holyfield | |
The Railway King (local politician and entrepreneur – 19th century Britain) | George Hudson | |
The Baron of Beefcake | Rock Hudson | |
Crazy Horse (English footballer, 1970s – died 2004 aged 57) | Emlyn Hughes | |
Darwin's Bulldog (English biologist, 1825–95) | Thomas Henry Huxley | |
Old Hickory (7th US President, 1829–37) | Andrew Jackson | |
The Glimmer Twins (used for record–producing credits by a famous songwriting partnership) | Mick Jagger | |
Keith Richards | ||
The Hanging Judge (1680s) | George Jeffreys | |
The Second Adam | Jesus | |
The Maid of Orleans | Joan of Arc | |
Referred to by Rod Stewart as "Sharon" | Elton John | |
The Big Unit (US baseball pitcher) | Randy Johnson | |
Bricklayer (after his father's occupation) | Ben Jonson | |
Pearl (US rock singer, late 1960s) | Janis Joplin | |
Air (US basketball superstar) | Michael Jordan | |
White Lightning (Cuban sprinter, 1970s) | Alberto Juantorena | |
The Great Stone Face (or simply Stoneface) | Buster Keaton | |
The Father of Existentialism (Danish philosopher, 1813–55) | Søren Kierkegaard | |
The Sparrow from Minsk (born 1955 in Grodno, Belarus) | Olga Korbut | |
Le Crocodil (The Crocodile – French tennis player of the 1920s, d. 1996) | René Lacoste | |
Elia (pseudonym of) | Charles Lamb | |
The Jersey Lily (actress, and mistress of Edward VII) | Lillie Langtry | |
The Clockwork Mouse (Austrian motor racing driver, 1970s) | Niki Lauda | |
The Rockhampton Rocket | Rod Laver | |
The Flying Pig (Liverpool goalkeeper, 1960s) | Tommy Lawrence | |
Little Miss Dynamite | Brenda Lee | |
Jackpot (darts player – PDC World Champion 2011 and 2012) | Adrian Lewis | |
The Killer | Jerry Lee Lewis | |
Champagne Charlie (Music Hall artiste) | George Leybourne | |
The Swedish Nightingale | Jenny Lind | |
Bumble (former England cricketer, later a commentator) | David Lloyd | |
The Welsh Wizard | David Lloyd George | |
The Lion of Vienna (footballer, Bolton Wanderers and England – died in 2011 aged 85) | Nat Lofthouse | |
The British Bulldog, The Blackpool Rock (British heavyweight boxing champion, 1958–9) | Brian London | |
The Brown Bomber | Joe Louis | |
The Sun King (Le Roi Soleil), Le Grand Monarch | Louis XIV | |
The July Monarch (last king of France, 1838) | Louis–Philippe | |
Voted Queen of Hollywood in 1938, when Clark Gable was voted King | Myrna Loy | |
The Beloved Physician | St. Luke | |
The Forces' Sweetheart | Vera Lynn | |
Mama Africa (South African singer, 1932–2008) | Miriam Makeba | |
The Brockton Blockbuster | Rocky Marciano | |
The Father of Radio | Marconi | |
Madame Deficit | Marie Antoinette | |
Anne's Great Captain; Corporal John | Duke of Marlborough | |
Gorbals Mick (Speaker of the House of Commons, 2000–9) | Michael Martin | |
Bloody Mary | Mary I (Tudor) | |
The Wizard of the Dribble | Stanley Matthews | |
Cap'n Bob; the Bouncing Czech | Robert Maxwell | |
Queen of the Mods (TV presenter – Ready Steady Go) | Cathy McGowan | |
The Clones (clone–iss) Cyclone | Barry McGuigan | |
The Bard of Barnsley (born in 1956 in the nearby village of Darfield) | Ian MacMillan | |
The Body (Australian supermodel) | Elle MacPherson | |
Pinetree (New Zealand rugby legend – 55 caps, 1957–71) | Colin Meads | |
The Angel of Death (Nazi war criminal) | Josef Mengele | |
The Cannibal (Belgian cyclist, born 1945) | Eddy Merckx | |
The Burnhopefield Basher (English cricketer, 1960s) | Colin Milburn | |
Wor Jackie (English footballer, 1950s) | Jackie Milburn | |
The Countess of Dudley (Music Hall artiste) | Gertie Millar | |
The Cheeky Chappie (Music Hall artiste) | Max Miller | |
The Brazilian Bombshell (1950s singer) | Carmen Miranda | |
The Mongoose (British heavyweight boxer, 1950s) | Archie Moore | |
Pitbull (Harlequins and England hooker) | Brian Moore | |
Van the Man, the Belfast Cowboy | Van Morrison | |
The Originator of Jazz (self–styled) | Jelly Roll Morton | |
The Alderman (BBC Test Match Special commentator, 1974–91; died in 1999, aged 74) | Don Mosey | |
Il Duce (European political leader) | Benito Mussolini | |
Nasty (Romanian tennis player) | Ilie Nastase | |
The Bravest of the Brave (French general) | Marshal Ney | |
The Golden Bear | Jack Nicklaus | |
Pineapple–face (Panamanian dictator, died 2017) | Manuel Noriega | |
The Great White Shark | Greg Norman | |
The Flying Finn (before Lasse Viren) | Paavo Nurmi | |
The Factory King (1830s & 40s) | Richard Oastler | |
The Liberator (Irish politician, 1775–1847) | Daniel O'Connell | |
Chariots (English rugby player) | Martin Offiah | |
Queen of the Swashbucklers | Maureen O'Hara | |
Originally came to fame (on TV and with a spin–off book) as the Naked Chef | Jamie Oliver | |
Father of the Atom Bomb | J. Robert Oppenheimer | |
The Rocket, The Essex Exocet (English snooker player, 1990s–2000s) | Ronnie O'Sullivan | |
Bird (short for Yardbird) – US jazz saxophonist, 1920–55 | Charlie Parker | |
Old Blood and Guts (US WWII general) | George Patton | |
Sweetness (American footballer) | Walter Payton | |
Psycho (Nottingham Forest & England, 1985–99, 78 caps) | Stuart Pearce | |
Black Jack (US Army Chief of Staff) | John Pershing | |
The Baltimore Bullet (US Olympic swimmer) | Michael Phelps | |
Scud (Australian tennis player) | Mark Philippoussis | |
The Little Sparrow (French singer, died 1963 aged 47) | Edith Piaf | |
The World's Sweetheart, America's Sweetheart (actress, born Toronto 1892) | Mary Pickford | |
Queen of Aintree | Jenny Pitman | |
The Great Commoner (although eventually awarded a peerage) | William Pitt the Elder | |
The Sailor's Friend (died 1898) | Samuel Plimsoll | |
Jack the Dripper (US painter – died in 1956, aged 44, in a car crash) | Jackson Pollock | |
The Wasp of Twickenham | Alexander Pope | |
King of the Mambo (billed as such on his first and only No. 1 hit, 1955) | Perez 'Prez' Prado | |
Two Jags (Labour cabinet minister) | John Prescott | |
King of the Grand Guignol, Merchant of Menace, Bink | Vincent Price | |
The Menace (former world darts champion) | Dennis Priestley | |
The Professor, The Calculator, The King of Rio (French Formula 1 driver, 4 times world champion) | Alain Prost | |
The Ice Man (Formula 1 World Champion 2007) | Kimi Raikkonen | |
Tremendous Knowledge (Egghead) | Dave Rainford | |
The Mad Monk | Rasputin | |
The White Feather (footballer – Middlesbrough 1996–7) | Fabrizio Ravanelli | |
Nabob of Sob, Sultan of Sob, Tearleader, Prince of Wails | Johnny Ray | |
The Great Communicator (the 40th US President) | Ronald Reagan | |
Dracula (world champion snooker player) | Ray Reardon | |
The Vulcan (British politician, 1990s) | John Redwood | |
Crookback | Richard III | |
The Prime Minister of Mirth (English music hall artiste, 1869–1954 – real surname Wade) | George Robey | |
The Thunder from Down Under (snooker player – world champion 2010) | Neil Robertson | |
The Sea–Green Incorruptible (French revolutionary leader) | Maximilien Robespierre | |
Billy Whizz (England rugby union player, 2001–7) | Jason Robinson | |
Captain Marvel (England footballer: 90 caps, 1981–90, 65 as captain) | Bryan Robson | |
The Singing Brakeman, the Father of Country Music (1897–1933) | Jimmie Rodgers | |
King of the Cowboys (from 1943, when he starred in a film of that title) | Roy Rogers | |
The Desert Fox (German World War II general) | Erwin Rommel | |
Dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' in the British press (in 2019) | Coleen Rooney | |
Le Douanier ('the Customs Officer' – French post–impressionist painter, 1844–1910) | Henri Rousseau | |
Razor (Premiership footballer, turned TV and radio personality – after a boxer with the same surname) | Neil Ruddock | |
The Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, The Colossus of Clout, The King of Crash, The Home Run King, The Big Guy | 'Babe' Ruth | |
Father of the Soviet H–bomb | Andrei Sakharov | |
Pistol Pete (US tennis player) | Pete Sampras | |
The Tenth Muse | Sappho | |
Stormin' Norman (commander of coalition forces in the Gulf War, 1991) | Norman Schwarzkopf | |
Flash (Harry) | Sir Malcolm Sargent | |
The Lion of Judah | Haile Selassie | |
The Clown Prince of Soccer (1950s) | Len Shackleton | |
The Oomph Girl (Hollywood actress, 1915–67) | Ann Sheridan | |
The Juice | O. J. Simpson | |
Ol' Blue Eyes | Frank Sinatra | |
The Beast of Bolsover | Dennis Skinner | |
Empress of the Blues (died 1937 in a car accident, aged 43) | Bessie Smith | |
Slammin' Sammy (US golfer, died in 2002 – 4 days before his 90th birthday) | Sam Snead | |
The Baby–Faced Assassin (footballer and manager, born 1973) | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | |
The March King | John Philip Sousa | |
The Demon Bowler (died 1926) | F. R. Spofforth | |
The Walrus (US golfer – Masters champion 1982) | Craig Stadler | |
La Stupenda (after Lucia di Lammermoor, at La Scala in 1961) | Joan Sutherland | |
The Choirboy (jockey – rode Shergar to victory in the 1981 Derby) | Walter Swinburn | |
The Silver Fox (snooker player – top 16 1976–86) | David Taylor | |
The Power (PDC World darts champion, 13 times to 2006) | Phil Taylor | |
The Colossus of Roads (English civil engineer and man of letters, 1757–1834) | Thomas Telford | |
Father of the Hydrogen Bomb (Hungarian–born US physicist, 1908–2003) | Edward Teller | |
The Little Flower of Jesus (19th Century French nun) | St. Therese of Lisieux | |
Queen of Memphis Soul | Carla Thomas | |
Soul Queen of New Orleans | Irma Thomas | |
The World's Oldest Teenager | Rufus Thomas | |
The Grinder (Canadian snooker player, world champion 1980) | Cliff Thorburn | |
Big Bill (1920s tennis star) | W. T. Tilden | |
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | |
The Velvet Fog (US jazz singer, 1925–99) | Mel Tormé | |
The Hairy Monster, The Hairy Cornflake (both self–styled) | Dave Lee Travis | |
Father of the RAF | Hugh Montague Trenchard, First Viscount Trenchard | |
Fiery Fred | Fred Trueman | |
Last of the Red–Hot Mamas (Ukrainian–born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality, 1886–1966) | Sophie Tucker | |
The Sweater Girl | Lana Turner | |
The Fighting Marine (world heavyweight boxing champion, 1926–8) | Gene Tunney | |
Deadly (Kent and England cricketer, 1960s / 70s) | Derek Underwood | |
The Muscles from Brussels | Jean–Claude van Damme | |
Sassy, The Divine One (US jazz singer, died 1990) | Sarah Vaughan | |
The Widow of (at) Windsor | Queen Victoria | |
The Red Priest (Italian Baroque composer) | Antonio Vivaldi | |
The Voice (classically–trained singer, born Salford 1966) | Russell Watson | |
The Duke (after a dog he owned as a child) | John Wayne | |
The Iron Duke | Duke of Wellington | |
The Punk Princess of Fashion | Vivienne Westwood | |
The Walrus of Love (US soul, funk and disco singer, 1944–2003) | Barry White | |
The Whirlwind | Jimmy White | |
The Universal Provider (self–proclaimed – English retail entrepreneur, late 19th and early 20th centuries) | William Whiteley | |
Doris Karloff (Tory MP, and minister in the Major government) | Ann Widdecombe | |
The Sailor King (served under Rodney as a midshipman, aged 14, in the Battle of St. Vincent, 1780) | William IV | |
The Morning Star of the Reformation (English religious reformer) | John Wycliffe | |
The Bishop (presenter of ITV's Stars on Sunday) | Jess Yates |
© Haydn Thompson 2017–24