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4[[quoteright:300:[[Series/RobinHood https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/little-john_1880.jpg]]]]
5
6->'''Veronica:''' Easygoing Veronica Mars, that's what the kids at school call me.\
7'''Keith:''' ...You know how fat men are sometimes called "Tiny"?
8-->-- ''Series/VeronicaMars''
9
10Nicknames and other forms of names hung upon a person by others can be a strange thing. They can be random names, or they can be shortened forms of full names, or they can suggest something about the person, like the Hulk. And then there's the case where the nickname deliberately does ''[[{{Irony}} not]]'' describe the person.
11
12The most famous one is probably the name "Tiny". Any guy called "Tiny" will invariably be either morbidly obese or eight feet tall with more muscles than a Mr. Universe contest. The same is true for "Shorty" or "Pipsqueak" or any variation on a name or nickname implying "very small."
13
14Very popular in Australia, where a bald man will be called "Curly" and a redhead "Bluey." Also popular in the Chicano (Mexican-American) culture, where a rotund man will be called "El Flaco" ("The Skinny Man"), a light-skinned woman will be called "La Negra" ("The Black Woman") and so on.
15
16A SubTrope of NonIndicativeName. See IronicName for when the given name, not the nickname, is ironic. For something similar applied to pets and animals, see FluffyTheTerrible and DeathbringerTheAdorable.
17
18----
19!!Examples:
20
21[[foldercontrol]]
22
23[[folder:Advertising]]
24* Coco the monkey of Coco Pops has a giraffe friend called Shorty.
25* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VrGVVAVIbQ This Spanish Sprite commercial]] shows a group of school friends reuniting, and thanks to growing up their old nicknames are all now this. For instance "Shorty" is now quite tall, "Fatso" is skinny, and [[OldFriendNewGender the]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} woman]] at the end was known as "Bear".
26[[/folder]]
27
28[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29* One of the many gangsters in ''Manga/BlackJoke'' is a black gangbanger called Smart Ice. He really is pretty brainy and on the up-and-up, but according to the translators' notes, the English word "smart" is often used in Japan to mean "slender", which Ice is anything but. Even though he's operating out of Japan, he doesn't seem to be aware of the irony.
30* Likewise, ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'s'' [[BloodKnight Kenpachi]] [[MemeticBadass Zaraki]], is NOT the sorta man to be called Ken-chan/Kenny (that is, not by anyone besides Yachiru).
31* ''Manga/BloodBlockadeBattlefront'' has Blitz T. Abrams, who is nicknamed "Lucky Abrams" by his co-workers. He's a DoomMagnet. Zapp even comments that [[LampshadeHanging nobody gets nicknamed "Lucky" for having good luck.]]
32* Ruki of ''Manga/ComicGirls'' is flat-chested, but her editor imposed the PenName of "Big Boobies Himeko" on her as she's writing {{josei}} manga. In a slightly {{deconstructed|trope}} case, this is why she has ACupAngst.
33* ''Manga/DeathNote'' has two examples of this if you take the successor's codenames as nicknames. [[SociopathicHero Mello]] is violent and short-tempered, while [[EmotionlessBoy Near]] is stoic and autistic. This was an accident as Near's and Mello's names were mistakenly switched by the editor. The codenames were originally [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Names]].
34* Anjuro Katagiri from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' has the nickname Angelo, the Italian word for "Angel", yet Anjuro is a depraved SerialKiller and [[SerialRapist Rapist]] and one of the most evil characters in the entire series.
35* ''Manga/MolesterMan'':
36** The protagonist is not actually a molester (he was mistaken for one in the first chapter), but since everyone in the story is OnlyKnownByTheirNickname (at least to the audience), it sticks.
37** The character Loli doesn't have a lolita body type, instead having a BuxomBeautyStandard.
38* Smile in ''Anime/OccultAcademy'' is a rather surly guy who pretty much never smiles.
39* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
40** Fleet Admiral Sengoku "The Buddha" is [[TheChessmaster tactical genius]], who is not especially nice. However, he ''does'' [[spoiler:turn into a giant statue of Buddha]].
41** More typically, [[OurGiantsAreBigger Oars Jr.]] is nicknamed "Little Oars" by his crewmates despite being twice as large as normal giants.
42*** Though Little Oars' name is somewhat explained as Oars/Oz (who Luffy and his crew fought earlier) is positively massive. Compared to him, Little Oars really is little.
43** Early on in the series, Luffy makes the off-handed discovery that the Grand Line is sometimes referred to as "Paradise". Considering that every other scrap of information given about the ocean around that time was is that it's a DeathWorld of the highest order, and that it lives up to that reputation later, when the story actually gets there, it seems like an example of this. However, several hundred chapters later, the nickname is brought up again as its origin is revealed: it was given by pirates who have explored the New World, another stretch of ocean that's basically the Grand Line's badass big brother. Even more physics-defying madness and ''far'' more dangerous pirates that makes the Grand Line look like, well, paradise by comparison.
44** The island of Little Garden, a LostWorld full of dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts. Apparently, it got its name because, it's like a 'little garden' compared to the giant creatures living there.
45* Officer Hiromi Yamazaki of ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}'' is roughly 6'3" 250 odd pounds (about 2 meters and 100 kilos). In fact he's too big to pilot most of the mecha (can't fit in the cockpit). He's also a gentle soul (with a GenderBlenderName) who would have been a fisherman like his father, if he didn't get seasick. Half-pint GenkiGirl officer Noa Izumi refers to him as ''Hiromi-chan'' using the diminutive usually reserved for cute girls and pets.
46** Although that is usually more an indicator of the speaker than the person they're referring to- lots of young girls call their older brothers, who could be insanely manly and fully adult, "onii-chan" because THEY'RE cute girls. Noa fits that bill rather well.
47* ''Manga/PingPong'': Tsukimoto, the resident stoic, goes by the nickname "Smile". [[spoiler:However, it is eventually revealed that the nickname wasn't always ironic. On the contrary, Hoshino gave Tsukimoto that nickname due to the fact that he was always smiling when they were playing table tennis.]]
48* When ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' came to America as ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'', portly Ryu Nakanishi was renamed Tiny Harper.
49* ''Manga/SoulEater'' has Marie Mjolnir. Her nickname is the 'Crushing Weapon', which one would have thought fits with her surname and the understandable presumption that her Weapon form is a big hammer. Not only is said form that of a tonfa, but her specialty is speed ('Izuna' increases the speed of her meister through electricity... [[LightningCanDoAnything somehow]]). Though she can still hit ''really'' hard.
50[[/folder]]
51
52[[folder:Comic Books]]
53* In ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', the biggest, most muscular of Kev Hawkins' SAS buddies is naturally called "Tiny".
54* Kroesus from ''ComicBook/{{Bamse}}'' got this nickname as a joke as he never had money. He eventually became the richest man (actually, vole) in town, making the Ironic Nickname fitting.
55* In the ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl'' comic, "Tiny" [=McFearsome=] of the Chaos All-Stars is actually a subversion -- they call him tiny because he's the runt of the litter. You should see his brothers!
56* Pvt. Elliot Taylor was called "Lucky", because he was a big oaf, always clumsily bumping into trouble. Eventually he stepped on a land mine; you might say he was lucky to have survived, but considering he was turned into a slow-witted, mute FrankensteinsMonster for the ''ComicBook/CreatureCommandos'', not really.
57* Matt Murdock picked up the nickname "ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}" in school -- because he was very cautious and averse to physical activity and sports.
58* ''ComicBook/{{Fathom}}'': When we get the backstory of Chance "Joker" Galloway, we discover that his callsign was once meant to be this: back when he got his wings, he was a pretty straight-laced and humorless guy. Since then, he came to embrace his nickname and became the squadron ClassClown.
59* ''ComicBook/HackSlash'''s "Super Sidekick Sleepover Slaughter" arc features a group of teenagers who decide to become superheroes. One of them, Daisy, becomes the Fearless Flamingo -- an intentional bit of irony, as she's cowardly, insecure, chubby, and shy (i.e., anything but fearless and nothing like a flamingo). Funnily enough, she ''becomes'' fearless over the course of the story, but abandons the Flamingo identity to become Sister Nightmare thereafter.
60* In ''ComicBook/HarleyQuinn'', one of Harley's friends in Coney Island is a very short man called Big Tony.
61* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'', Happy Hogan is named thus because he was originally drawn with [[PerpetualFrowner only one expression]]. [[ProgressivelyPrettier It didn't stick]].
62* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'': Tomas Byde, The Duke of Deception only gained the powers that earned him that title after being deceived into accepting them.
63* The Kindly Ones in ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', which is actually a historical nickname for the beings in question (or at least one of the many trios of mythological crones which Creator/NeilGaiman conflated into his characters). It is a pretty common practice in many cultures to refer to scary supernatural beings by friendly-sounding names to avoid angering them. See TheFairFolk for another example.
64* ''ComicBook/SgtFuryAndHisHowlingCommandos'': "Happy" Sam Sawyer was never happy nor did he ever smile. But ComicBook/NickFury is a smartass.
65* A rather vicious AlternateUniverse counterpart of Big the Cat in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' is called "Smalls".
66* [[ImprobableAimingSkills Sharpshooter]] Maximilian "Twitch" Williams in ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' got his nickname during his academy days "because he doesn't, ever".
67* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Mary Jane Watson famously calls Peter "Tiger" despite him being a snarky/socially awkward nerd. It somewhat lost that status when a {{Retcon}} revealed she'd been a SecretSecretKeeper since the very beginning.
68* ''ComicBook/TifEtTondu'': The hairy one is the one whose name suggests baldness and vice versa.
69* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'':
70** Big Figure is actually a DepravedDwarf.
71** "The Comedian" was once a wisecracker who wore a jester's costume in his youth. The name became ironic later, as he turned into an unstable, cynical nihilist.
72* ''ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder'' depicts ''the Joker'' of all people as a dour, humorless hitman.
73-->'''Joker:''' They call me the Joker. But I'm not very funny.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Comic Strips]]
77* Lucky Eddie, resident ButtMonkey of ''ComicStrip/HagarTheHorrible''.
78* ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'': To teach Bob a lesson about abusing henchmen, [[GameMaster B.A.]] introduced a character nicknamed "Skinny Stiltskin". After Bob decided to slap Skinny around for no good reason, B.A. described him as a hulking brute who seriously outmatched Bob's character. When Bob protested, B.A. pointed out that he'd never actually described the character until then and cited the Little John example.
79[[/folder]]
80
81[[folder:Fan Works]]
82* The second book of ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Harry battle a gigantic, ancient dragon, one which could, according to WordOfGod, "eat Godzilla like a bar snack," and is a PersonOfMassDestruction capable of single-handedly destroying worlds. With immense psychic and magical power and skill, as well as raw physical abilities, it proves capable of taking on both [[PhysicalGod Thor]] and [=MI13=]'s AirborneAircraftCarrier, at least for a short time. After an IHaveManyNames speech, Harry snarkily nicknames it "Dave."
83* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', the main character's code name "Joker" reflected his unique power and his status as the team's trump card. In ''Fanfic/TheEvilQueen'', Akira is given the code name because Karasu notes that it's the perfect cover for a serious and brooding individual like him.
84* Twig from ''WebVideo/FalloutNukaBreak'' is only skinny compared to the other denizens of Vault 10, who are all FatAndProud after decades of living on all the fast food their Nuka-Cola food replicators could provide.
85* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterPokemonMaster'' Hagrid's [[spoiler: Snorlax]] is called Tiny.
86* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961147/chapters/76102832#workskin Izuku Midoriya the Rabbit]]'': After stating that she tastes sour after licking her face (as a sign of affection, since he's a rabbit), Izuku dubs Mina, [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation a person with bright pink skin and hair]], his "orange friend", because she tastes like oranges. Mina [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] the irony.
87* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13187937/2/A-Little-Moody A Little Moody]]'' Alastor Moody has a friend who happens to be missing his left hand. His nickname is "Lefty".
88* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9350060/1/Pip-napped Pip-napped"]]'', one of Pippin's kidnappers is a huge man named Tiny.
89* In ''Fanfic/ThePrayerWarriors'', this applies to [[ICallItVera weapons]]. [[OriginalCharacter William]] has a [[HeroesPreferSwords sword]] called "Forgiveness" and [[Franchise/HarryPotter Draco Malfoy]] has an axe called "Peace". They and the rest of the Prayer Warriors slaughter non-Christians, including those who are unarmed, those who surrender, and even a few who [[HeelFaceDoorSlam try to do]] a HeelFaceTurn.
90* In ''Fanfic/SylviaTheSylveon'', Vapor, one of Sylvia's brothers. While he does want the evolution from which his name derives, [[spoiler:it's not the one he gets]].
91* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/1535321/chapters/3249650#workskin Laying a Foundation]]'':
92-->'''Lord Ogden:''' I never understood that whole Dexter thing.\
93'''Harry:''' Its a joke Lord Tim. Like calling a large man Tiny or a bald one Curly. Since Dexter means right in Latin, wizarding culture has decided that all children born on the left side of the blankets as it were, should be called Dexter.
94* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12834497/1/Harry-the-weapon Harry the Weapon]]'':
95-->'''Harry:''' My friend Smethwyck will look out for you, and also Pig, er, that's Porkins, and Fido, that's Tempest.\
96'''Dudley:''' Ok, I get Porkins but why Fido?\
97'''Harry:''' Oh, his name is Charles Abernethy Tempest, which spells CAT so of course we called him Fido because it's a dog's name.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
101* ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'': Jackson Storm refers to [=McQueen=] as "Champ", mocking the fact that Lightning is falling behind Storm's more high-tech generation.
102* TheRustler Alameda Slim from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'' isn't exactly, and Lucky Jack is a jackrabbit who lost his foot, which are believed to bring good luck.
103* In ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', the gang's DumbMuscle is named [[UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein Einstein]].
104* Honest John in ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' is a con man, and predictably, not at all honest. A bit of a subversion, the name is one he gave himself, and it's for deceiving people, not irony.
105* Young Fred in ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' is an elderly man.
106[[/folder]]
107
108[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
109* In ''Film/CharliesAngelsFullThrottle'', the Thin Man has a nickname that is both ironic and meaningful. Because he has been mute ever since he was brought to the orphanage (with the exception of shrieks and whoops he utters when indulging his hair fetish), the nuns who raised him called him Anthony after St. Anthony of Padua, healer of the mute.
110* There's an odd example in the movie ''Film/CyborgCop 2'', with the drug lord Fats. He's not fat, but he's also not especially skinny. Even so, other characters talk about him as though he were a huge fat guy -- you get the feeling that either Fats lost a lot of weight recently or they couldn't find a fat guy to play the part and nobody bothered to change the script.
111* In ''Film/TheDeparted'', the character Frenchie is actually from Britain. When asked if his real name is Mr. French, Costello states that it is not.
112* In ''Film/ElectraGlideInBlue'', Zipper calls John Wintergreen (Robert Blake, 5'6'') "Big John."
113* White calls Brown 'Gandhi' near the opening of ''Film/{{Exam}}''. This is ironic, as Brown has military experience, and is the second-most violent member of the group.
114* Similarly to the book (mentioned below), ''Film/FlightOfTheIntruder'' features "Razor" as an ironic nickname. While the book character gets the name due to his PornStache, the film character gets it from being a baby-faced EnsignNewbie who doesn't look old enough to shave. By the end of the film, his nickname is changed to ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Straight]]'' [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Razor]].
115* In ''Film/FullMetalJacket'', Gunnery Sgt. Hartman gives Pvt. Brown, a black recruit, the nickname "Private Snowball."
116* Angel Eyes of ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' sports a perpetual narrow-eyed sneer.
117* Skinny Pete from ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'' is a huge, fat man.
118* In ''Film/Joker2019'', Arthur Fleck is nicknamed "Happy" by his mother. He looks miserable throughout the film (well, before turning into the eponymous supervillain anyway). Kind of justified in that she's crazy and he has a condition causing him sudden bursts of laughter, although everything in the film is an AmbiguousSituation after another.
119* In ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'', Kaulder calls 36th Dolan, who's well into his seventies, "kid". Played with in that for ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Kaulder, 36th Dolan really ''is'' a kid.
120* In ''Film/LordOfIllusions'', the sadistic sorceror Nix names himself "the Puritan". He doesn't even aspire to purity, except maybe [[PureIsNotGood pure malice]].
121* The prisoners in ''Film/MeanMachine'' include the short, skinny Massive and the large, strong, and noisy Mouse.
122* In ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', the last two pirates in the [[LongList roll call scene]] are "[[OverlyLongName Big Fat Ugly Bug-Faced Baby-Eating O'Brien]]" and "Angel Marie". O'Brien is an attractive (but [[VocalDissonance deep-voiced]]) lady pirate, and Angel Marie is a big ugly Muppet monster.
123* Manumana in ''Film/NecessaryRoughness'' is a huge Samoan whose name means "runt of the litter." Subverted in that it's actually ''not'' ironic -- apparently the other men in his family are even bigger than him.
124* ''Film/RedTails'':
125** "Pretty Boy" is a German ace pilot with a long, ugly DuelingScar on his face. Two things of note: One, he ''would'' be pretty if not for the scar, and two, Lightning gave him the nickname before he ever saw his face.
126** Largely averted with the Airmen, who have appropriate nicknames -- Joker cracks wise, Junior is very young, and Lightning is flashy. Played straight with Easy, however, as he is a tightwad who doesn't seem to know how to relax.
127* ''Film/RendezvousWithDeath'': The protagonist of this ''wuxia'' is named Hsin-Hsuan - "Despair", but yet he is a jovial, easygoing, happy person who frequently snarks at his enemies during combat and tends to constantly goof off during his screentime.
128* Nice Guy Eddie from ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. "Nice" is not the word most people would use to describe [[{{Jerkass}} this]] [[SirSwearsALot particular]] [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain man]].
129* In ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds 2'', an Alpha Beta member called "Tiny" insists his name is ironic, but only gets laughed at by his friends. He later tries to give himself the overcompensating nickname "The Meat".
130-->It's a reverse nickname! You know, like they call red-headed guys "Blondie" and right-handed guys "Lefty"!
131* Little John in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' parodies this.
132-->'''Little John''': [[CaptainObvious Uh, yeah, but don't let my name fool ya. In real life, I'm very big.]]
133* In Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/SecretAgent1936'', the Hairless Mexican is neither hairless nor Mexican. However, in the novel ''Literature/{{Ashenden}}'', on which the film was based, the character [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin actually was a hairless Mexican]].
134* Heroin Bob from ''Film/{{SLC Punk}}'' was named as such because he wouldn't touch drugs and was afraid of needles.
135* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', Brick Top's hair is grey. Also, Gorgeous George is rather unattractive.
136* Sent up (ha) in the ''Film/StarskyAndHutch'' movie, where they conclude that a guy is not the Big Earl they're looking for on the grounds that he's not big enough for it to be an accurate name, and too tall for it to be ironic. When first suggesting it's an ironic thing, Starsky mentions knowing a seven foot tall guy on the Vice squad called Tiny. Incidentally, the real Big Earl turns out to be a pretty tall dude.
137* Subverted with Mr. Sulu in ''Film/{{Star Trek III|The Search for Spock}}'' when a security guard insults him by calling him "Tiny." Sulu certainly ''is'' much shorter than the security guard, but it doesn't stop him from completely kicking the guy's ass. "Don't call me Tiny."
138* All the girls of ''Film/SuckerPunch''. We never find out their real names, just what they're called in the Brothel fantasy:
139** Babydoll - the girl is twenty years old and only looks like TheIngenue, but is actually quite crafty.
140** Sweet Pea - she's the most cynical and sardonic of the group
141** Rocket - she [[spoiler: dies when her jet pack ''fails'' to work]].
142** Blondie - she is played by the brunette Vanessa Hudgens.
143** Amber - she is played by the Asian-American Jamie Chung. Also the name means "fierce" when Amber is quite nervous and submissive. Plus she's the pilot in all the action scenes.
144* Doubling as a RealLife example, Curly Howard of ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' is completely bald, though the nickname is from before he shaved his head for the act. This can be confusing for newcomers to the series, since Larry Fine actually did have large amounts of curly hair.
145* In ''Film/TopGun'', Commander Heatherly's callsign "Jester" is almost certainly an example of this, given that he's played by the stone-faced Michael Ironside.
146[[/folder]]
147
148[[folder:Folklore]]
149* Possibly the UrExample, Little John, Myth/RobinHood's best friend and NumberTwo. The nickname is little more than an inverse of his actual name (that is, John Little). Depending on the particular interpretation of the legend, he could be more than 185 cm (6 feet) tall and weigh over 90kg (200 pounds) - in an era when many men would have been around 160 cm (5 feet 3 inches) and weighed perhaps 55 kg (125 pounds). Lucky for Robin that Little John was one of the good guys...
150[[/folder]]
151
152[[folder:Literature]]
153* ''Literature/AllTheKingsMen'' features the burly political operative Tiny Duffy, whose commitment to extending traditional Louisiana politics' cronyism to Willie Stark's administration once causes Stark to evict him from his office with a shotgun--primarily because evicting him with anything short of firearms would have been physically impossible.
154* Fat Charlie from ''Literature/AnansiBoys'' isn't fat at all, and he never was. He was a bit pudgy between age ten, when he was bedridden with illness for a month, and fourteen, when he started eating a little less and exercising a little more. However, since the name came from his father [[TricksterGod Anansi]], it stuck.
155* In Creator/RobinMcKinley's novel ''Literature/{{Beauty|ARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast}}'', the titular character's real name is Honor, but as a child made the comment that "I'd rather be Beauty," and the nickname stuck. Ironic in that while her two elder sisters are extraordinarily beautiful, Beauty herself is extremely plain, awkward, and gangly. [[SheIsAllGrownUp She fits her nickname better later on, however.]]
156* ''Literature/CHERUBSeries'': Ironic Nicknames are practically mandatory in the Brigands MC.
157-->''Biker names were usually ironic. Little George was the size of a house, Fats as thin as a rake and Teeth had nothing but squishy gums and a couple of brown molars at the back.''
158* From the ''Literature/ClassicSingaporeHorrorStories'' short, "Stepchild", when the protagonist Katherine "Kate" describes herself and her brothers, Augustine "Argoose" and Rudolpho "Rudy". The latter is the nicest NiceGuy in the entire story, despite his nickname, which Katherine lampshades. "He's never rude to anyone despite being named Rudy." ''Kat''herine herself also qualifies, being a dog person who ''hates'' cats - she's easily agitated and upset if anyone refers to her by said nickname.
159* In ''Literature/TheComfortableCourtesan'', when Clorinda and Eliza make friends with each other, they start calling Josiah "the Grand Turk", in mockery of the common social assumption that any man who consensually has relationships with multiple women at once must be some kind of barbaric domestic tyrant.
160* Leslie Thomas' detective ''[[Series/TheLastDetective Dangerous Davies]]'' is so named because he's considered harmless by most local villains.
161** In one story, Dangerous investigates the background of a very short man called Lofty. This turns out to be a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion, because the little guy had stolen the identity of the real Lofty who was a six foot two beanpole.
162* In book 1 of ''Literature/TheDemonPrinces'', ''Star King'', the lieutenant of Malagate the Woe is Hildemar Dasce, also called "Beauty". Dasce had his eyelids cut off by an enemy and wears a mechanical device to moisten his permanently-exposed eyeballs, and has his face dyed the colour of a rotting orange to render himself still more unattractive.
163* Literature/{{Discworld}}:
164** In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', during [[DeathTakesAHoliday his tenure as a mortal]], [[TheGrimReaper Death]] befriends a group of old men in a small farming community, including a fellow known as Gabby Wheels, who (as can be expected, from this trope) never says anything.
165** Similarly, Short Street in Ankh-Morpork is, in fact, the longest street in the city.
166** Ankh-Morpork's last king known for his predilection for torture is known as Lorenzo the Kind, a darkly humorous reference to his other well-known trait, being "very fond of children".
167* In the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' series, one the gangsters working for Vlad was nicknamed "The Healer". This is a reference to an incident in which he approached a recalcitrant debtor with a club and said something like "I see your head is whole. How about I heal it for you?"
168* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
169** Harry's typical response to anything ridiculously huge is to name it "Tiny." This has included both a gruff bigger than an elephant and an undead UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex.
170** Harry's dog Mouse is roughly three-and-a-half feet at the shoulder and tips the scales at about 200 lbs. When Mouse was a puppy [[GiganticAdultsTinyBabies he fit in Harry's coat pocket]] so the name wasn't ironic at first, it just became that way. Worth noting that he's canonically a Tibetan Mastiff, from which we can infer that Harry's duster must have some pretty enormous pockets.
171* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheEyesOfTheDragon'', "Thomas the Lightbringer" is the tool that [[EvilChancellor Flagg]] plans to use in order to plunge Delain back into DarkAgeEurope.
172* ''[[Literature/FelseInvestigates Fallen Into the Pit]]'' by Creator/EllisPeters: "Pussy" Hart. Her real name is Catherine, which became "Cat", and thence "Pussy". It's stated that the nickname has stuck specifically because it doesn't suit her; if she's a cat, it's not any kind that people would call "pussy".
173* ''Literature/FlightOfTheIntruder'' brings us Razor, so named because of his PornStache, and Cool Hand, who when he's not flying, suffers from stress-related palsy.
174* In Creator/JTEdson's ''Floating Outfit'' stories, the Ysabel Kid's horse is called "Nigger". Naturally, every hair on the animal is bone-white.
175* One gang leader in an early ''Literature/GarrettPI'' novel is a human known as Gorgeous, who is ugly enough to impress ogres with his looks. Garrett's own sort-of-grandmother (she used to date his grandpa and outlived Garrett's real one) is an extremely homely old lady called Handsome.
176* In ''Literature/TheGodsOfGuilt'', Mickey Haller and his team are having a meeting when his investigator, [[BadassBiker “Cisco” Wojciechowski]], steps out to talk to one of the other bikers who has been trying to find out if Mickey’s being followed. The other biker is described as being even bigger than Cisco, who’s already a [[TheBigGuy pretty big guy]]. After Cisco leaves the office, Mickey comments that [[LampshadeHanging “If this were a movie, that guy would be named ‘Tiny.’”]] When Cisco comes back, Mickey asks what the other guy’s name is, and his answer has the group chuckling with how close Mickey was.
177-->'''Cisco:''' Who, Little Guy?
178* In ''Literature/TheGospelOfLoki'', Odin's brother Honir is nicknamed the Silent "for his apparent ability to speak without ever stopping for breath".[[labelnote:*]]In the original mythology, it's Odin's son ''Vidar'' who's called "the silent god".[[/labelnote]]
179* ''Literature/HaloContactHarvest'' continues the theme of the Prophets from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' having ironic names. The Prophetess of Obligation neglects some of her duties due to her pregnancy, the Vice Minister of Tranquility (the future Prophet of Regret) is extremely combative, and the Prophet of Restraint knocks up a lover when he's legally forbidden from breeding.
180* The biggest and strongest soldier in Creator/SvenHassel's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII tales is called Tiny. At the same time, his childishness makes the nickname apt.
181* ''Literature/{{Holes}}'':
182** Clyde Livingston is a baseball player nicknamed "Sweet Feet". He has a foot fungus that makes his feet really stinky.
183** Mr. Pendanski, nicknamed "Mom" by the inmates, initially seems to be the TokenGoodTeammate, but is actually FauxAffablyEvil.
184* Among the minor characters in William Saroyan's ''Literature/TheHumanComedy'' are three soldiers nicknamed Texas, Fat and Horse. "Texas" is actually from New Jersey.
185* In ''Literature/InCryptid'', carnie girl Frances calls Jonathan "city boy", but his hometown probably has fewer than a thousand people. After seeing the town she rethinks how accurate it is.
186* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': There's a forest cleric whose known as "The Sterile Tree". Eric discusses this with his advocate; given how many different kinds of life live on, in and under them; trees are definitely not sterile.
187* In ''The Last Dragonlord'' and ''Dragon and Phoenix'', the youngest Dragonlords are traditionally called "Little One" regardless of size. One of them, a woman the size of a child, delights in calling the youngest one "Little One" to the point of rarely using his name to his face. He's about seven feet tall. On meeting the next two successive youngest Dragonlords, she is relieved to see that both of them are still taller than her.
188* 'Pudge' in ''Literature/LookingForAlaska'', called such because he's skinny.
189* In ''Literature/LesMiserables'', Fantine names her little girl Euphrasie in a moment of romantic inspiration, but soon she calls the babe "Cosette" all the time (which means, basically, 'pampered' or 'indulged' in French). Then she leaves her child with the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Thenardiers]], who verbally and physically abuse the child, starve her, and force her to work for her keep -- all the while still calling her "Cosette," little Indulged. And Cosette becomes the name by which she is known her entire life, except in the most official moments.
190* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's novel ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'' has a character named "Shorty" Mkrum, who is two meters tall (about 6'7'').
191* In the ''Literature/OddThomas'' novels, Odd is friends with a writer named Little Ozzie. Little Ozzie is over 450 pounds, and only named "little" because his father, Big Ozzie (who is fifty pounds lighter than his son) is still alive.
192* In the second novel of the ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'', Jimmy nicknamed the humorless Nightmaster of the Mockers Laughing Jack.
193* ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheFaroeIslanders'': Thrand's nephew Thord is called Thord the Short, but actually he is exceptionally big and strong.
194-->''[H]e was called Thord the Short; yet he was the tallest of men and moreover he was thickset and very powerful.''
195* Steapa Snotor of ''Literature/TheSaxonStories''. Snotor means "the clever", and Steapa is anything but.
196* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several of these:
197** Small Paul and Giant are huge and short, respectively.
198** Brienne the Beauty and Pretty Meris are both ugly.
199** Raff the Sweetling is a really horrible person.
200** The Tickler is a TortureTechnician.
201** Little Walder is much larger than his cousin Big Walder. Little Walder is, however, a few years younger than Big Walder, so it still kind of fits.
202** Subverted, however, by Sam "the Slayer," who believes that his nickname is intended to be mocking until a friend points out that, unlike other ironic nicknames, Sam's is actually ''true''.
203** Jorah Mormont has been called Jorah the Andal in Essos. When in fact Jorah is from the North, which makes him a descendant of the First Men who resisted the Andals.
204** Shae refers to Tyrion, a dwarf, as "my giant of Lannister." In this case, it's as much an AffectionateNickname as an ironic one.
205** Jon is given the nickname Lord Snow, mocking his status as the bastard son of a Lord (as a bastard, he could never inherit the title).
206** Smalljon Umber is nearly as big as his huge father, the (appropriately nicknamed) Greatjon.
207* In ''Sula'' by Creator/ToniMorrison, there's a boarder at the titular character's house who's nicknamed "Tar Baby" by the other people living there. He's an extremely light-skinned black man (and might actually be completely white).
208* Big Sam and Little Sam in Creator/LMMontgomery's ''Literature/ATangledWeb1931''. Not intentionally -- Little Sam is the younger by ten years.
209* ''Literature/TeenPowerInc'': Alice "Sunny" Chan is by no means TheEeyore, but she is a very serious person whose infrequent moments of sunny humor and joy tend to be NotSoStoic moments.
210* In Creator/CSLewis' ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'', the [[FunWithAcronyms National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments]] is not NICE at all.
211* In ''Literature/ThrawnAscendancyChaosRising'', the BigBad, whose "introduction" involves the bloody massacre of refugees from one of the worlds he conquered, calls himself "Yiv the Benevolent".
212* ''Literature/{{Tiny}}'', the titular dog of a children's series who's actually huge.
213* The ''Literature/WaysideSchool'' series has this with [[ThemeNaming the three Erics]]. Basically, there's three kids named Eric in the main class. One, Eric Bacon, is a skinny guy, one, Eric Fry, is an excellent athlete, and one, Eric Ovens, is a fairly nice guy. Bacon is called "Fatso", since Fry is bulky and Ovens is pudgy. Fry is called "Butterfingers" and is constantly forced on right field, because Bacon is weak and Ovens is clumsy. Since Bacon and Fry have insulting nicknames, they're irritable jerks, which leads to Ovens being called "Crabapple." [[MindScrew It's a little surreal, honestly.]]
214* Creator/JackLondon's book ''Literature/WhiteFang'' features a character called "Beauty" Smith. The author's descriptions of the character are, shall we say, less than favourable.
215* Subverted in the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. The pilot [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname "Runt"]] is pretty big and considerably stronger than a human, but that nickname followed him from his homeworld. For his species, he's practically a dwarf. It's stated that his species are almost never starfighter pilots because they don't fit in the cockpit, and even Runt is a little cramped.
216[[/folder]]
217
218[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
219* Young Mr. Grace from ''Series/AreYouBeingServed''. So called because despite being ancient, he's nonetheless still younger than his brother.
220* A black gangster in ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'' is known as "Chalky" White, a pun on both his skin colour and last name.
221* ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'': Several throughout the series run, but one of the most chilling examples was "Thunder Man," from late in the fourth season. William Poole is a munitions expert who uses this nickname to refer to his expertise with a (then-)new explosive called nitroglycerin, and its use to clear large sections of land quickly for--in this case--cattle pasture. However, it has a much different meaning for young, beautiful women he encounters: That of a cold, cunning serial rapist and killer. When he is finally found out by series protagonist Joe Cartwright, Poole declares himself a "Thunder Man" in a very different sense: That of an invincible person who can and will get what he wants (complete and unquestioned power over women to satisfy his sexual desires), "and not a force in Heaven and Earth can even begin to move me!" ... until Joe shoots him and Poole is killed by his own nitroglycerin.
222* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':
223** In one episode, Temperance learns that her paramour (who seems unwilling to have sex with her) is nicknamed "Peanut." Turns out he's embarrassed about his [[GagPenis giant penis]].
224** Also, Temperance itself is something of an ironic name: one of the SevenCardinalVirtues (very Christian, which she isn't), it has to do with being mindful of others and one's surroundings (she's not), practicing self-control (she's calm, to be sure, but she really doesn't know when to shut up), and being abstemious and moderate (while she doesn't drink ''that'' much, her sex life can hardly be seen as abstemious or moderate...not in a negative way, but definitely immoderate). Her birth name, changed by her unrepentantly criminal parents, was Joy, and she still has severe personal issues due to spending her childhood a string of foster homes.
225* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Spike doesn't like being called "William the Bloody" because it actually referred not to his infamous brutality as a vampire but to his bloody awful poetry as a human.
226* In ''Series/ChappellesShow'''s "Player Haters" sketches, the ugliest hater (he has an award for it and everything) is called Beautiful. That said, he's a preening narcissist who seems to believe his nickname describes him perfectly.
227* In an episode of ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', a "Tiny" comes in and sits at the bar near Cliff, who, upon learning of his nickname, points out the concept behind it. "Tiny" tells him, "You're Smart!" Cliff takes it as a compliment, until "Tiny" points out that that's ''his'' Ironic Nickname for ''him''.
228* "Curly" Watts from ''Series/CoronationStreet''. His hair could not have been straighter.
229* In ''Series/DadsArmy'', Private Walker sometimes refers to Private Frazer (a Scotsman) as "Taffy", the slang term for a Welshman, specifically someone from Cardiff.
230* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' featured Little Chino, a huge man who actually [[spoiler: survives Dexter's murder attempts. Twice. During one of them, he rips through enough tape to subdue a normal man, and the last time he's taken by Dexter you see none of him except for parts of his face, due to Dexter never making the same mistake twice]].
231* One episode of ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' is set into motion by the murder of mobster "Handsome" Bobby Perdillo, who was very fat and ugly. Sherlock assumes the name '"Tiny" Bobby Perdillo' was already taken.
232* ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' has a large insectoid robot nicknamed "Tiny".
233* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jon Snow is mockingly dubbed "Lord Snow" by Ser Alliser Thorne because he is a highborn bastard son of a lord raised with a young lord's upbringing. Jon's title as "Lord Snow" is no longer an ironic nickname when he's elected Lord Commander in Season 5.
234* "Sweet" Dee on ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', who is [[{{Jerkass}} anything but.]]
235* This trope applies to the nickname of Detective Constable "Dangerous" Davies, protagonist of ''Series/TheLastDetective'' series of mysteries and is discussed in the episode titled ''Lofty'' (see the Literature section above).
236* Smiler from ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine'' who was always downbeat. And when he does smile (mostly to laugh) it is very, very creepy.
237* ''Series/{{Monk}}'' had a character named Fat Tony, a gangster who Sharona gets a crush on. He was a fat as a kid and grew up incredibly fit but he's still called "Fat."
238-->'''Sharona:''' Why can't you just call him Big Tony?\
239'''Gangster:''' We already have a Big Tony.\
240'''Sharona:''' Who?\
241'''Gangster:''' [[AskAStupidQuestion ... Big Tony]].
242* In ''Series/LondonsBurning'', one character is nicknamed "Charisma". He's TheFriendNobodyLikes to the entire watch, surpassed only in his lack of tact and social grace when Geoff "Poison" Pierce joins the cast.
243* In ''Series/OffTheMap'' Mina's pet chicken is named Dinner. When she lays an egg and it hatches, they call the chick Appetizer.
244* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': The exiled giant Antoine gets handed a Dwarf pickaxe, which are magically inscribed with the name of the Dwarf it belongs to. The name that appears? "Tiny." Then again, he actually was small compared to most giants, who called him "Tiny" long before the pickaxe did.
245* In the TV mini-series ''Series/{{Oktober}}'' the goons from the multinational pharmaceutical company pursuing the protagonist belong to its "Ethics Division".
246* In ''Series/OurFlagMeansDeath'', Wee John is one of the more physically imposing members of the crew. {{Lampshaded}} with Spanish Jackie, who isn't Spanish and doesn't even know why she's called that.
247* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'':
248** In "Wild Goose", Miss Brooks refers to DumbJock Stretch Snodgrass as "the brain."
249** In speaking of Mr. Conklin, especially at breakfast to [[CoolOldLady landlady Mrs. Davis,]] Miss Brooks often refers to Conklin as "our beloved principal". In reality, Mr. Conklin is RepressiveButEfficient yet [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating unloved by the students]] - [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold save for his daughter Harriet.]]
250* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'':
251** Fusco has Finch's number saved as "Mr. Good News".
252** Subverted in the case of the Brotherhood member Mini. He would have Team Finch believe it's because of his large muscular frame, but in fact [[spoiler:it's short for Dominic, which they know as the name of the Brotherhood's leader]].
253* On ''Series/{{Psych}}''. In "Black And Tan: A Crime of Fashion", "Black and Tan" are the pseudonyms used by Shawn and Gus to infiltrate a fashion show. However, Shawn (a deeply tanned Caucasian[[note]]Technically Hispanic, as he's Mexican-American, but he's definitely "White Hispanic" in Census Bureau terminology.[[/note]]) is "Black" and Gus (an African-American) is "Tan". How dare you assume otherwise?
254* In ''Series/{{Scorpion}}'', Happy is the one with anger issues.
255* ''Series/{{Sharpe}}'': Captain "Sweet William" Frederickson. "Sweet William" is a stock character from English folksongs, whose usual function is to be a love-struck or broken-hearted young idiot. Captain Frederickson, on the other hand, is a grizzled, heavily scarred SergeantRock, who also happens to be [[GeniusBruiser fiercely intelligent, well-read and something of an intellectual]], and also possesses an [[CulturedBadass unexpected artistic streak.]]
256* ''Series/SiliconValley'': One of the salespeople hired by Jack Barker to Pied Piper is Jan "the Man." She's something of TheLadette and apparently quite proud of the nickname, since she uses it whenever she introduces herself.
257* In ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', Happy is extremely serious as well as the club's most ruthless killer. He embraces his nickname by tattooing smiley faces into his chest for every kill he makes.
258* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the MirrorUniverse version of Miles O'Brien is called "Smiley." He's a very unpleasant and unhappy man who never smiles. That his nickname is ironic is a coincidence -- Mirror Sisko simply didn't like the name "Miles" and altered it slightly.
259* In the episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E19FolsomPrisonBlues "Folsom Prison Blues" (S02, Ep19)]] of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', a very large prisoner is named Tiny.
260* In ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', one of the contestants in the Pearl Islands season who became infamous for constantly lying through his teeth to the other contestants, including claiming that his grandma died to garner sympathy, became known as "Johnny Fairplay".
261* On ''Series/TopGear'', James May's "Captain Slow" nickname is now rather ironic since he's had the opportunity to take two different Bugatti Veyrons (record-setting fastest production cars) to their top speeds.
262** This trope was actually invoked in the ''Top Gear'' vs ''D-Motor'' episode. Clarkson had secretly replaced James May (known as "Captain Slow") with their "tamed racing driver" The Stig for the final racing segment. In a bad attempt to cover the fact that Captain Slow apparently had professional race driving skills he claimed their nicknames are ironic and that Richard Hammond was known as "Lofty". They weren't convinced.
263** May has also dubbed Jeremy Clarkson "the world's most practical man" on occasion.
264* In ''Series/VeronicaMars'' Season Two, there is a janitor nicknamed Lucky. They nicknamed him that because he went to Iraq and was injured (which could mean he was lucky in not dying or unlucky in getting injured in the first place). Even more ironically, he ends up [[spoiler:going off his rocker, starting a school shooting with a gun filled with blanks, and then gets shot dead by a security guard]] in an episode entitled "[[IronicEpisodeTitle Happy Go Lucky]]."
265* An episode of ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' featured the team investigating several hackers. One guy was named "Tiny" (or something), and the guy sent to talk to him ended up being beaten up by a huge behemoth of a guy. In contrast, a guy named "Big Hack" was... a [[LittlePeople dwarf]].
266* Used in ''Series/TheWire'', Season 4. Herc is looking for a gangster named Little Kevin (who is in reality tall and overweight), and has the man in question up against a wall. When asked if he is Little Kevin, Kevin replies, "Do I look little to you?" Herc, failing to appreciate this trope, lets him go, and decides to apprehend everyone under 5'10 and 180lbs as possible candidates.
267* On ''Series/TheXFiles'', Mulder's nickname at the FBI is "Spooky". Doesn't seem that ironic until you learn that his work with the supernatural isn't how he got the nickname. Before the X-Files, he was an amazing profiler for the Violent Crimes Section, so amazing it was spooky.
268[[/folder]]
269
270[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
271* Black Boy, who is noticeably paler than most people in the Caribbean, where he most frequently wrestles. He later became better known as Diamante.
272* "Sweet" Saraya Knight, a loudmouthed, obnoxious, psychopathic {{Heel}}.
273* The ring name of [[Wrestling/{{Chyna}} Joan “Chyna” Laurer]] is a reference to ‘fine china’, which is delicate and fragile…something the former bodybuilder was decidedly not.
274* When the Fantastics said they had an enforcer named Little John to keep Wrestling/JimCornette from interfering, Cornette laughed and joked and asked "So where ''is'' the little fellow?" [[OhCrap His demeanor changed]] when the legit 7'3" John Harris walked out.
275[[/folder]]
276
277[[folder:Religion]]
278* In Literature/TheBible, UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} nicknames his apostle Simon "Peter" ("the rock") and apostles James and John "Boanerges" ("sons of thunder"). Peter was somewhat flighty, and James and John got their mother to ask Jesus for a favor, instead of asking him themselves, making it this trope-[[CharacterDevelopment at first]].
279[[/folder]]
280
281[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
282* Comedian Mark Forward has a bit where he brags about his high-school nickname "Gorgeous Mark", and then laughs about how they all made fun of the fat kid by calling him "Tiny". [[LateToThePunchline Cue sad realization about his own nickname.]]
283[[/folder]]
284
285[[folder:Theatre]]
286* ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'''s main villain is often referred to as "Honest" Iago. But as we learn through the course of the play, far from being honest, he is a ConsummateLiar and one of the worst {{Manipulative Bastard}}s that Shakespeare has ever written.
287* ''Theatre/StageDoor'' by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber has "Big Mary" Harper, whose height reaches only about the elbow of "Little Mary" [=McCune=]. The irony of their nicknames is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]]:
288-->'''Bernice''': Listen, why is the little one called Big Mary and the big one Little Mary?\
289'''Olga''': Nobody knows. Will you for heaven's sake stop asking questions?
290[[/folder]]
291
292[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
293* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''
294** [[AxCrazy Konrad Curze]], [[TheDreaded the Night Haunter]], Primarch of the Night Lords Legion had a pair of master-crafted [[WolverineClaws lightning claws]] whose true name (if any) were unknown. What does his Legion call them? ''Mercy'' and ''Forgiveness''. The irony is readily apparent for any follower of 40k, but for those who aren't: Konrad Curze was an AxCrazy SerialKillerKiller who, within a year of landing on his homeworld of Nostramo, managed to clear it of crime by using violent, murderous terror tactics to punish criminals and deter corruption amongst officials.
295** Furthering the Night Lords' penchant for this, one of their commanders during the ''Literature/HorusHeresy'', Kheron Ophion, was nicknamed "the Coward". Why? Because he stood his ground and fought a losing space battle to buy the rest of the Legion time to retreat, an oddity in a Legion well known for fleeing in the other direction at the prospect of a fair fight.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:Video Games]]
299* In every version of the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, there is a lazy dog villager that is covered from head to toe with bandages like a mummy. Though his name is ''Lucky'', his biographies say otherwise, especially with the notable "[[NoodleIncident bizarre fishing accident involving a hook and two bass]]."
300* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCoreVIFiresOfRubicon'': [=RaD=] gives their pilots ironic callsigns:
301** "Chatty" Stick is terse and quiet.
302** "Honest" Brute is a traitor and compulsive liar.
303** "Invincible" Rummy is the single worst AC pilot of the game and an easy midboss to kill.
304** "Cinder" Carla is clearly way too young to be an actual Cinder (a survivor of the Fires of Ibis), to the point that a text log between two [=RaD=] members has one of them disparaging the nickname as stolen valor. [[spoiler:Except she's actually TheAgeless and is part of the group that helped orchestrate the event to begin with, meaning her nickname is either the only truly accurate one, or it's ironic in the sense that she isn't technically a ''survivor'' of the Fires so much as the arsonist.]]
305* [[AllThereInTheManual The instruction manuals and some other side materials]] for ''VideoGame/ArmyMen'' will often refer to Colonel Grimm as "Happy" Jack, and then (sometimes within the same sentence) mention his depression over how long the current war has dragged on.
306* In ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'', Dante Robinson is called "Stretch" even though he can't stretch at all because he's really short.
307* In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil,'' the man who fronts for the [[LaResistance IRIS Network]] is a blind man named "Peepers." He even has an eye on the front of his shirt.
308* "Tiny", a character in the ''VideoGame/CakeMania'' series, is an ex-sumo wrestler.
309* Tiny Tiger from the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' games is massive.
310* "Trusty" Patches from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is perfectly trustworthy. [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest]], after all. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Lautrec can't stand him]].
311** "Hawkeye" Gough the archer is completely blind. Of course, it ''used'' to be unironic before he lost his sight, and he can still snipe a moving dragon out of the sky even without it. It's also implied that he isn't even really blind, he just ''thinks'' he is since he was once attacked by a group of {{Fantastic Racis|m}}ts (he's a giant) who stuffed the eyeholes of his helmet full of resin. He just assumed they had blinded him and [[TwentyFourHourArmor never bothered to remove his helmet to check]].
312** Also, there's Patches's {{Expy}} from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', "Mild-Mannered" Pate. Sure, he ''acts'' mild-mannered, but only to trick gullible saps into getting themselves killed setting off booby traps in his place, or as a nice distraction for enemies, so he can loot all the prizes for himself.
313* When the DefectiveDetective protagonist of ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' calls his police precinct after a three-day alcohol bender that destroyed his memories and left him with a wrecked hotel room and killer hangover, he can hear the other cops in the precinct calling him "Dick Mullen" while mocking him, after an in-universe fictional super-cop. [[spoiler:Subverted; despite his numerous mental issues, [[BunnyEarsLawyer he earned the nickname by actually being that good]] and the cops were more mocking the fact that he has [[BrokenAce fallen this far]]]].
314* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'': Tiny Kong. In her first appearance she was Dixie Kong's little sister and really was tiny, but then [[FanservicePack she hit puberty]]. Now she's one of the taller Kongs.
315* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', [[TheNicknamer Varric]] gives a couple of companions ironic nicknames. [[TheBigGuy The Iron Bull]] is dubbed "Tiny", and while "Chuckles" was appropriately used for a Snarky!Hawke in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', here he applies it to the constantly serious Solas.
316* One of the small groups of Undaunted one can find in the bars of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' has a rather small wood elf and a huge high elf, collectively known as "the Twins".
317* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
318** The headmistress of Riften's Honorhall Orphanage goes by the name of "Grelod the Kind". Far from being kind, she's one of the [[EvilOrphanageLady absolute cruelest people of all of Skyrim]], and her sobriquet is meant as an ironic insult by the townspeople of Riften. She's so mean that should she die, not only do the orphans she ostensibly cares for [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing all cheer her death]], but it is not regarded as a crime, no matter the means of death. She was so wicked that one kid who escaped from the orphanage tried to contact [[MurderInc the Dark Brotherhood]] to have her killed. Breaking into his house will have him mistake you for a Dark Brotherhood assassin, and if you play along and kill Grelod for him, it gets the attention of the real Brotherhood, who attempt to recruit you.
319** Laila Law-Giver, the Jarl of the biggest WretchedHive in the province. An almost tragic case, as while she ''wants'' to be a fair and just lawmaker in her hold, she's so clueless and easily influenced that her authroity means nothing.
320** There's also Kesh the Clean, a Khajiit who worships Peryite, the Daedric Prince of diseases. Then again, ingratiating yourself to the god of diseases probably ''is'' a good way to prevent yourself from getting one.
321** Susannah the Wicked, a barmaid from Windhelm, is actually a NiceGirl towards the player and the Dunmer population who are treated like second-class citizens. [[spoiler:Her murder by Windhelm's resident SerialKiller leaves the city poorer for her loss]].
322* In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', you have to rescue Nick Valentine from Triggermen mob boss "Skinny" Malone. As Nick observes, "The name's [[FatBastard kinda ironic]]."
323* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
324** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' [[TheNicknamer Asugi's]] nickname for Rhajat, the incredibly gloomy DarkMagicalGirl, is, of course, ''Sunshine''. However, Rhajat's supports do show that while not exactly a ray of sunshine, she's ''much'' nicer than she lets on.
325** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', [[DeadpanSnarker Hapi]] nicknames HeroicMime Byleth "Chatterbox".
326* In the ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' DLC ''Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep'', the White Knight in Tina's [[AlliterationAndAdventurers Bunkers & Badasses]] game is represented by Roland, the only black Vault Hunter.
327-->'''White Knight:''' If you ask me why I'm the ''White'' Knight, [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore I may have to punch you in the throat]]. Fair warning.
328* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': "Smiley" Yanxiao is a burly PerpetualFrowner.
329* More of an Ironic Title: all of the High Prophets in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''. Truth is a complete liar and psychopath. Mercy shows no mercy to the humans or Elites, [[spoiler: and was given none by Truth]]. Regret didn't regret anything he did, [[spoiler:even after he was dead]]. With Truth at least it was intentional, as he chose the name to remind of himself of his own lies and hypocrisy.
330* At the start of ''VideoGame/KingdomComeDeliverance'' you fight a large bandit leader named Runt who wields a club bigger than you are.
331* Little Eddie, the first boss of ''VideoGame/MadWorld'', is the second or third largest boss in the game, easily 15 feet tall and covered in rock hard muscle. Commentator Kreese Kreeley doesn't understand why they call him that when he's so big, leading Howard "Buckshot" Holmes to explain in detail the very concept of irony to him.
332* The pilot of SSV Normandy from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' was called "Joker" because he never smiled in flight school. Amusingly, the irony is something of an InformedAttribute by the time of the game's events, as Joker tells...well, jokes, in every conversation you have with him since he no longer feels the need to prove himself.
333* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
334** A fireman is a rescue worker trained to extinguish fire. Fire Man from the first ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' game on the other hand, is a robot who starts fires.
335** Proto Man's Japanese name is "Blues", even though his suit is mostly gray and red. The name is a reference to the musical genre of {{blues}} and not to the color blue.
336* ''VideoGame/MetroExodus'': "Idiot" is actually both the wittiest and best-educated member of the "Aurora" crew, and he accepts the nickname partly because he likes [[Literature/TheIdiot Dostoyevsky]] and partly because he thinks it's funny.
337* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'': Benny Fideleo's nickname is "The Nose". He isn't drawn with one, and the most prominent traits of his character design are his ''massive'' ears.
338* The first boss of ''VideoGame/RagingJustice'' is a ''huge'' brute named... Tiny.
339* ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'''s Ancient Rome/Egypt mishmash world has Tiny. Guess what he looks like. (Hint: he has a mohawk.) Hell, they even lampshade it ''in his introduction'' (provided you see him before the [[InevitableTournament Coliseum fight]]):
340-->'''Tiny''': [[ThirdPersonPerson Tiny likes irony.]]
341* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns Hong Kong'': Your sometime employer is a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad]] mid-level boss known as "Kindly" Cheng. "Kindly" is a complete hard-ass who manages to turn an overly ambitious underling into a gibbering wreck with a few words.
342* One of the heroes in ''VideoGame/SuperheroLeagueOfHoboken'' is Captain Excitement, who is so drowsy, lethargic and boring that his mere presence can put animals and some humans to sleep. His biography mentions that his nickname is deliberately ironic.
343* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
344** Luigi means "famous hero". Hero? Most definitely. Famous? [[DudeWheresMyRespect Not a chance]].
345** Mouser from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' is an evil mouse that throws nightmare bombs. Look up however what 'mouser' actually means... a cat trained to catch mice.
346* [[MightyGlacier Tiny]], the Stone Golem in the popular ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' map ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients''. Sure, he starts off (true to his name) as a tiny golem, but levelling up his Ultimate Ability increases his size (and damage) while lowering his attack speed.
347* ''VideoGame/WingCommander's'' Chris "Maverick" Blair got the call sign as an ironic take on his by-the-book flying. Todd [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Maniac"]] Marshal on the other hand, did not.
348* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' has Triss complain to Geralt about all of the "[[SarcasmMode fun]]" she's been having with the crew of the ship.
349-->'''Triss:''' I can burp the Nilfgaardian emperor's title without reaching for beer and I've discovered that Shorty's name [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial has nothing to do with]] [[TeenyWeenie his manhood]].
350* Mallik the Unscathed from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', who is the first of the Paragons of the Klaxxi to fall in battle when he's killed by Imperial Vizier Zor'lok at the end of the Klaxxi storyline.
351* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' has a substory called "Damned Yanki," where you help out a band performing for a group of hooligans. Every member of this band has an ironic nickname. "Krazy" Kyo is someone pretending to be a hooligan but is really not, "Sleazy" Tarashi has, in his words, "never even seen a boob," and "Bad Boy" Aku admits that his hobby is caring for elders.
352[[/folder]]
353
354[[folder:Web Animation]]
355* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has a minor criminal character named Hei "Junior" Xiong, who's a fully grown adult; when he first appears in the "Yellow" trailer, Yang [[DeadpanSnarker snarks]] "Aren't you a little old to be called 'Junior'?"
356* Per WordOfGod, ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'''s Doc isn't a real doctor.
357[[/folder]]
358
359[[folder:Webcomics]]
360* In ''Webcomic/BeyondTheCanopy'', Pedro has a several-stories-tall robot named Tiny Tin. (Though Pedro may be referring to the robot's ability to [[TelescopingRobot fold up into a handheld size]], in which case it's not ironic at all.)
361* Ysengrin from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' is referred to by one of his underlings as "the Very Nice Man." Ysengrin, the [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity borderline-psychotic]] wolf-[[{{Planimal}} tree]]. ''Yeah''... [[spoiler: [[NobleWolf He's actually shown to be reasonably nice and significantly intelligent and caring, provided you're not an enemy]].]]
362* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', {{invok|edTrope}}ing this trope is a common punishment for betraying the ThievesGuild. "Eagle-Eyed Pete" [[EyeScream was blinded]], while "Appendix Steve" apparently suffered a much less troublesome fate. When Pete betrayed an old cleric friend of his, that cleric made a quip about calling him "Brainy Pete" before enacting his ExtremeMeleeRevenge with his mace.
363* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' a very fat guy and a very short guy host the "Broadman & Midget" radio show. Turns out the short guy's Broadman (real name Brouderman) and the fat guy's Midget (a.k.a. Mike Midgetski). They both seem completely unaware of the irony.
364[[/folder]]
365
366[[folder:Web Original]]
367* Despite being a carpenter by trade, Handy from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' has stumps for arms. The name winds up being both descriptive ''and'' ironic.
368* Parodied in the ''WebVideo/HardlyWorking'' sketch "Guy Ritchie". While the first few characters introduced play the trope fairly straight (an ornery thug named "Happy Streeter", a taciturn bruiser named "Kevin the Blabbermouth"), the rest are given ironic nicknames that are clearly meant to be backhanded insults ("Handsome Josh", "Sam Whose Girlfriend is Faithful" and "Sarah Who Looks Good in Purple").
369* Kid Speedy of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''. The goal of the "Videlectrix" game starring him is simply to ''not get last place''; forget winning.
370-->''Who's faster than Kid Speedy? EVERYBODY!! This little fatso is the slowest poke in the bunch.'' --In-universe advertising
371* Meredith Hemmings of ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' v4 is occasionally referred to as "Merry". [[EmoTeen She isn't]].
372* ''WebVideo/TFSAtTheTable'': The protagonists' FriendInTheBlackMarket is known as Legitimate Larry. He has apparently closed and opened his business again six times, and has a bounty from the Adventurer's Guild.
373[[/folder]]
374
375[[folder:Western Animation]]
376* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' has Rocket... the sloth.
377* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Pipsqueak and the Duke. Guess which one is the GentleGiant and which one is the little kid. Go on, guess.
378** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d right at their introduction, when Aang makes the easy mistake of mixing them up.
379--->'''Aang:''' ''(to the Duke)'' Pipsqueak, that's a funny name.
380--->'''The ''real'' Pipsqueak:''' You think my name is funny?
381--->'''Aang:''' ''([[{{Beat}} silenced for a moment as the irony sinks in]])'' It's hilarious!
382* Tiny, a female Tetramand (Fourarms' species, which are all giants) in ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}''.
383* In the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'' ''Officer Duck'', Donald is given the order to bring in Tiny Tom, who turns out to be Pete.
384* In ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode "Who Let The Dogs In?", Bloo's friends all find a whole litter of abandoned puppies and begin naming them. Finding the whole thing ridiculous, when Bloo is given the rights to name one of them, he named him Stupid. [[spoiler:Turns out, Stupid's the ''smartest'' of the '''imaginary puppies''', being the one who can talk.]]
385* Invoked in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', when Elisa, after having her memories erased, calls the aptly-named Goliath "Tiny" as soon as she sees him.
386* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'', Hector tried to take over the gang, and Wordsworth and Mungo sided with him. Riff-Raff didn't argue, but said his old friend "Shorty" who was coming to visit might, and claimed it was an Ironic Nickname, claiming Shorty was a monster who weighed a ton. After wearing themselves out trying to prepare for this, Shorty actually showed up, and it seemed to be a subversion, as he ''was'' pretty short. (Although, as Hector found out the hard way, Shorty also knew Karate; "short" didn't mean "weak".)
387* In ''WesternAnimation/OkKoLetsBeHeroes'', K.O.'s mom has affectionately nicknamed him "Peanut". Adorable... but then you remember K.O. is ''allergic'' to peanuts.
388* One of Mordecai and Rigby's coworkers in ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is a fat little guy called Muscle Man. This is a special case because [[StoutStrength he is quite strong]] (his daily tasks are very physically taxing, he likes to work out, and at one point turns to protein supplements as a comfort food). Eventually, it's revealed in "Power Tower" that he was once a bodybuilder, and that his old nickname stuck with him after he got out of shape (Mordecai assumed it was supposed to be ironic).
389* In a ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch about Big Jim, Zorak mentions [[CompensatingForSomething the reasoning]] for the name. There's also "Eagle-Eye" Smith, a bumbling blind man who rarely even knows where he is.
390* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' gives us:
391** Handsome Pete, who looks like a deranged, miniature version of Krusty the Klown. As the ''Simpsons'' episode guide says:
392--->''Irony: He ain't all that handsome.''
393** Surly Joe, a foundation repair man. In actuality, he's mostly a very polite and well-mannered guy. Once again, the ''Simpsons'' episode guide says:
394--->''Irony: He ain't all that surly.''
395* An example occurs in the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Pickles" when the quite obese Bubble Bass approaches the counter at the Krusty Krab.
396--> '''Squidward:''' Let me guess, Tiny. A small salad?
397* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' has Mr. Fergus Duncan, who despite being quite tall, is known as The Small Controller[[note]][[PlayingWithATrope because he runs the miniature Arlesdale Railway]][[/note]].
398* In the Creator/HannaBarbera series ''WesternAnimation/TopCat'', the dimmest member of TC's gang is named Brain. The Latin American Spanish dub managed to make it more hilarious by renaming him "''Demostenes''", after the Greek philosopher.
399* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''
400** The inveterate braggart Sky Lynx, whom Springer calls "Commander Modesty."
401** Inferno, an Autobot who's vehicle form is a fire truck; he's a lot better at ''putting out'' infernos.
402* [[EnfantTerrible Curly]] from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has black hair in a bowl cut -- like Moe, not Curly.
403-->'''[[DrillSergeantNasty Lt. Maj. Goose]]:''' ''[[LiteralMinded Your hair's not curly!]] What's your real name?!''\
404'''Curly:''' ...[[EmbarrassingFirstName Thaddeus]].
405* The three Erics in ''WesternAnimation/{{Wayside}}'' all have different nicknames... specifically, unflattering nicknames that invariably describe the ''other two''. In most of those cases, it was because the kids believe that, because a nickname describes the other two Erics, [[InsaneTrollLogic it]] ''[[InsaneTrollLogic must]]'' [[InsaneTrollLogic describe the third.]]
406[[/folder]]
407
408[[folder:Real Life]]
409* President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington has long been known as the "Father of His Country", but he had no children of his own. Since his wife had four children from a previous marriage, this has led to suppositions that he was sterile. Also, his wife Martha Washington consistently, throughout their marriage, referred to George as "my old man", in spite of being a year older than him.
410* One famous branch of the Roman ''gens'' (clan) Julia probably got their ''cognomen'' (secondary name) ''Caesar'' from the nickname of Numerius Julius, which would mean "hairy". Since it is known that many men of the family suffered from a very early onset of baldness, this probably started as a joke (rather like calling the bald guy "Curly"). Or at least [[WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt it became one for later generations]]--certainly, its [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar most famous bearer]] endured a lot of "bald guy" jokes during his illustrious if ill-fated career.
411* [[Creator/TinyLister Tom "Tiny" Lister]], an actor who was also a very big, very muscular, very cross-eyed, very, ''very'' ScaryBlackMan.
412* Tiny Ron, a seven-foot-tall actor who's had a number of bit Hollywood roles (probably most notably Maihar'du in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''). In ''Series/PoliceSquad'', he's so tall, his head won't even fit in the camera frame.
413* UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation
414** 1970s player Nate "Tiny" Archibald was 6'1"--not tiny in the general population, but small compared to most NBA players.
415** Gheorge Muresan, who along with Manute Bol is the tallest player in league history at 7'7", had the nickname of "Ghitza" which translated to "Tiny".
416* In Australia up til recently, it was fairly common for friends of a redhead to nickname him/her ''Bluey''.
417* MLB relief pitcher Heathcliff Slocumb at some point picked up the nickname "Smoke 'em." [[DontExplainTheJoke He really couldn't]].
418* The famous Roman orator, statesman and historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus. His cognomen "Tacitus" means "silent".
419* One of Creator/SonnyBarger's lieutenants in the Hells Angels leadership was a hulking brute called Tiny.
420* Curly of Film/TheThreeStooges was bald.
421* As was the Curly in the 1970s Harlem Globetrotters.
422** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', his counterpart is called Curly Joe after the Stooge's replacement.
423* The pirate [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Every Henry Every]] was supposedly nicknamed Long Ben (the man's exact name is not exactly clear), the Long part because he was fairly short.
424* While it was [[ArtifactTitle not ironic when it was first named]], the ''"Pont Neuf"'' ("New Bridge") is now the oldest bridge in Paris.
425* 1960s UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball strongman (i.e. thug) "Delicate" Des Dickson.
426* 1920s Australian rugby league player Edwin Stanley Brown was so pale they nicknamed him… [[NWordPrivileges the "N-word".]]
427* Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton was an [[AmazonianBeauty attractive, muscular strongwoman]].
428* 1960s and 1970s NASCAR racer [=DeWayne=] Louis "Tiny" Lund was 6'5' and weighed about 270.
429* Snooker player Steve "Interesting" Davis was nicknamed so by ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' because he was seen as a dull public speaker.
430* In the modern game, it is often noted that Mark Selby's semi-official nickname "The jester From Leicester" is only half-accurate: although an easy-going guy, he's not known for being a joker, either on or off the table.
431* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the overly huge Panzer VIII was named the Maus (Mouse). The original name was the far more appropriate Mammut (Mammoth), but the development crew nicknamed it Mäuschen (Little Mouse) and this was adapted into its final name. The even more ludicrously huge Landkreuzer P. 1000, which never made it past the drawing board (the Maus itself barely did, as only two functioning prototypes were completed and one never received its turret), was named the Ratte (Rat).
432* Also from World War II, the "Little Boy" atomic bomb was so large and heavy it had to be disassembled and distributed around the ''Enola Gay'' so that the bomber could even get off the ground. Its brother bore the more appropriate name "Fat Man".
433* Creator/MasiOka originally got his name from a teacher who called him "Messy Masi" after getting tired of [[TheUnpronounceable trying to say Masayori]]. While the "messy" part is normally an accurate description of his handwriting, there are a couple of pieces of autographed ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' memorabilia out there where the ''only'' remotely readable piece of handwriting is Masi's Japanese (his English letters are still largely illegible).
434* [[UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson LBJ]] was originally mocked as "Landslide Lyndon" because, on his first election to the Senate he won ''very'' narrowly. He won the Texas Democratic primary by 87 votes, in an election where over a million votes were cast statewide, and he happily embraced the nickname after winning his seat by a landslide in the State elections, something he would repeat in the 1964 Presidential elections.
435* The scientific name of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale blue whale]] is ''Balaenoptera musculus'', where "musculus" could be translated to muscle, but also "little mouse".[[note]]Amusingly, this means it shares a specific name--with a different genus of course--with the common [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_mouse house mouse]], ''Mus musculus'', i.e. "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Mouse little mouse]]"[[/note]]
436* David Dewitt "Homer" Bailey, Jr. is a professional Major League Baseball player. His nickname is ironic because he's a ''pitcher'', who wouldn't want to have home runs hit off of him.
437* Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, received the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthumous_name posthumous name]] of ''Shōwa'', which roughly translates to "period of [enlightened] peace". In some fairness to the man, he was Emperor for sixty-three years, and at the time of his death, Japan hadn't fought a war in over forty.
438* Aethelred II of England took the throne in 978, but his poor governance earned him [[Main/EmbarrassingNickname the nickname "Aethelred the Unready."]] The meaning of the term ''unready'' has evolved in the English language; at the time it was applied, it simply meant ''poorly-advised'', not ''unprepared''. It also doubles as a Main/PunnyName because ''Aethelred'' itself literally means ''well-advised.''
439* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Murray,_10th_Duke_of_Atholl Iain Murray]] (1931-1996), the 10th Duke of Atholl in Scotland, was known as "Wee Iain". He was 6-feet-5 (196 cm) tall.
440* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_%22The_Eagle%22_Edwards Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards]], who - despite being overweight and having awful eyesight - competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics as a ski jumper purely because Great Britain had no one else to compete in that event, and finished dead last in every event he participated in. As WebSite/{{Cracked}} [[https://www.cracked.com/article_170_5-people-who-failed-their-way-to-fame-fortune.html puts it]], "Eddie Edwards earned his "The Eagle" moniker by being as un-eagle like as one could possibly be."
441* The term "Ham" in "ham radio" is not only an AppropriatedAppellation, but has slowly become this trope over time. In the days of land line telegraphy, new and inexperienced operators were called "hams", short for "ham fisted", because they lacked the dexterity to send Morse code quickly. Nowadays, digital communications have completely eclipsed Morse in all areas ''except'' the amateur service, meaning that hams are the only people around who can copy Morse at all, let alone send it quickly.
442* Charles the Bald might be a result of this. Contemporary sources typically depict him with a full head of hair, and some historians believe his title may have been ironic. Nevertheless, later medieval scholars after his lifetime did refer to him as bald without a hint of irony, so the truth may never be known.
443* While [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson]]'s famous nickname might give you the impression that he was known for his skill at defending against enemy attacks, the opposite is true: he was most famous for his [[AttackAttackAttack strikingly aggressive]] tactics, with most of his reputation as a general stemming from his skill at offensive maneuvers. His nickname is generally agreed to have originated after the First Battle of Bull Run, where he earned admiration for refusing to retreat from advancing Union forces--but even there, he did more attacking than defending.
444[[/folder]]
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