Line #121 Main/NicknamingTheEnemy


1	->'''[[StrangeSyntaxSpeaker Rafin]]:''' It is one matter to fire at clay marks, but much another to nullify the Nemesis. That's what Namon told, and he told the truth before he went to the gloried way after.\
2	'''Chakotay:''' He was right. Killing's not easy.\
3	'''Rafin:''' Risking my own days and nights to drive the Nemesis from our sphere. That should be as easy as a long sleep.
4	-->-- ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E4Nemesis Nemesis]]"
5
6	Soldiers often come up with a name for the enemy that's easy to remember, usually quicker to say than their actual name (or if [[NoNameGiven they never learn the enemy's name]]). Sometimes this is a racial or ethnic slur (and in some cases becomes such a slur); sometimes it's a cultural reference, and sometimes refers to appearance. Doing so is commonly a form of {{Demonization}} and has the effect of 'Othering' the enemy, making them seem less human, thus keeping the troops from considering [[WhatMeasureIsAMook the enemy's humanity]], and thus making it easier for the troops to kill them. For that reason, the practice is often encouraged (or at least not discouraged) by the troops' superiors while the war's going on. In science fiction or fantasy settings, this is made even easier when the enemy is [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman not the same species as the troops]]. In such works this trope may also be the result of [[SpeakOfTheDevil the real name being forbidden, or a summons]].
7
8	These designations often find a way into propaganda and slogans used to whip up civilian support for the war effort, and continued use of these terms after the war can indicate a person who lived through the war and either adopted the term as a habit of speech or is having trouble moving past those years.
9
10	A subtrope of {{Demonization}}. Compare to WhatMeasureIsAMook, FantasticSlurs, ReportingNames.
11
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
18	* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Frieza and most of his followers refer to Saiyans as monkeys or apes. This is played with in that the Saiyans weren't originally Frieza's enemies, and even worked for him, but in his paranoia Frieza grew to believe they could exceed his power and so decided to wipe them out pre-emptively. [[CreateYourOwnHero It didn't work]].
19	* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': A tragic example occurs in the Future Trunks Saga. Future Bulma is the one who gave [[EvilTwin Goku Black]] his name; he initially went by Goku's actual name, and Future Bulma couldn't stand associating such a [[OmnicidalManiac genocidal monster]] with the identity of her dear friend.
20	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}''
21	** In the English version of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', the Federation and Zeon forces call each other "Feddies" and "Zeeks", respectively. In Japanese, they're just called "Renpou (Federation)" and "Zeon" regardless of who's talking.
22	** Less creatively, the Alliance soldiers in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' are known to refer to [[DesignerBabies Coordinators]] as "Space Monsters". A less-used, but more creative term is "Patchworker", in reference to their 'patchwork' DNA. On the ZAFT side of the coin, "Natural scum" and "Earth trash" are the most-commonly used slurs.
23	* In ''Anime/MonsterRancher'', Moo's minions are called "Baddies" by the protagonists. While the protagonists prefer the term "goodies" for themselves, Moo and his lieutenants dub them with the more dignified "Searchers".
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Comic Books]]
27	* The German forces in the UsefulNotes/WorldWarI serial ''ComicBook/GoldenEyesAndHerHeroBill'' are as likely to be referred to as "the bosch" or "the huns" as they are by any proper designation- TruthInTelevision, as the "Real Life/History" section below can attest.
28	* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'': The US ground forces refer to the Germans as Jerrys.
29	* ''ComicBook/{{Sigil}}'': [[TheHero Samandahl Rey]] consistently refers to his ArchEnemy, the [[LizardFolk Saurian]] prince Tchlusarud, as "Loser'.
30	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': There's a lot of terms mutant-hating humans use to refer to the children of the atom. "Mutie" is the most popular, while "genescum" and "genejoke" are popular on Genosha. On the other end, "flatscan" and "deadend" are terms mutants use to refer to humans. A variant of the former, "halfscan", is a slur mutants use within their own community to refer to other mutants with weak or passive powers. "Geecee" (Genetically-Challenged) was a term coined by Strong Guy as a politically-correct alternative to "mutie", but it rarely saw use outside of ''ComicBook/XFactor'' and other books written by Creator/PeterDavid.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Fan Works]]
34	* In the ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch\|STO}}'', as well as in [[Recap/StarTrekOnlineFoundryBaitAndSwitch the Foundry mission]] it's based on, multiple characters call Orions "greenskins" or "greenies". In the fic, Eleya also once calls the Borg "boltheads".
35	* In "Fanfic/LastRights" Vaadwaur is truncated to "Vaads" by nearly everybody. This one originated on the ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' forums as a FanNickname.
36	* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'':
37	** The humans from the Imperium of Man are nicknamed "Imps" by the Republic and Jedi.
38	** The Adeptus Mechanicus are nicknamed "droidmen" by the Republic's clone troopers due to their heavy cybernetic augmentation and droid-like behavior.
39	** The Republic's clone troopers are called "toy soldiers" by the Imperial Guardsmen due to their nature as mass-produced clones that were artificially grown for war.
40	** After their initial victories against the Republic, various Imperial officers call Republic forces "softies" due to believing them to be weak and soft.
41	* ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'':
42	** The Ponies often refer to humans as "[[SonOfAnApe apes]]" or "monkeys".
43	** The humans refer to the Ponies by terms such as "Celestians", "geldos" or "merry-go-round toys".
44	* Fanfic/TarkinsFist: Imperial stormtroopers refer to Earthlings as "abos". Short for aborigines. Earth born characters typically refer to the Imperials as ET's. Short for extra-terrestrials.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* ''Film/EnemyMine'': Dracs are called "lizards" by humans.
49	* ''Film/BladeRunner'' uses the term "Skinjobs" to refer to Replicants. In the versions where Deckard is narrating, the term is implied to be used by [[FantasticRacism bigots]].
50	* ''Film/{{District 9}}''[='s=] "Prawns."
51	* In both the 1988 film ''Film/AlienNation'' and the [[Series/AlienNation 1989 Fox series that continued the film's storyline]], the humanoid alien race is officially referred to as "Newcomers." The epithet "Slag" is used by the bigots who target them.
52	* ''Film/ThreeKings'' had several soldiers [[DiscussedTrope discussing]] which nicknames for the Iraqis were appropriate and which ones were not. One particularly dim-witted soldier complains that he just can't keep it all straight.
53	* In ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', after it's hammered in that they are ''not'' robots, the group discuss what they should call them. While "blank" is initially just a place-holder, they eventually settle on it because it fits.
54	* The ace Nazi pilot antagonist in ''Film/RedTails'' is given the nickname "Pretty Boy" by the Red Tails, and no one ever learns his actual name.
55	* It's heavily and hilariously discussed in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' when [[BigBad Hans Landa]] gets his hands on Aldo and Utivitch:
56	--> '''Landa:''' So you're Aldo the Apache?
57	--> '''Aldo:''' So you're the Jew Hunter?
58	--> '''Landa:''' 'Jew Hunter'. I'm a detective. A damn good detective. Finding people is my specialty, so naturally I worked for the Nazis finding people, and yes some of them were Jews, but 'Jew Hunter?' Just a name that stuck.
59	--> '''Utivich:''' Well you do hafta admit it is catchy.
60	--> '''Landa:''' Do you control the nicknames, your enemies bestow on you? Aldo the Apache and The Little Man?
61	--> '''Utivich:''' What do you mean, 'The Little Man?'
62	--> '''Landa:''' The Germans nickname for you.
63	--> '''Utivich:''' The Germans nickname for me is 'The Little Man?'
64	--> '''Landa:''' Or 'The Little One', either one means you, and as if to make my point, I'm a little surprised how tall you were in real life. I mean, your a little fellow but not circus midget little, as your reputation would suggest.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Literature]]
68	* In the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne World War I]]-era book ''Literature/TheAliceNetwork'', the Germans are sometimes called the Huns or the Bosche. A British officer refers to the French (who are not his enemy) as Frogs, and Eve, half French, sometimes calls English soldiers Tommies out of disdain.
69	* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/StarshipTroopers,'' Humanity's main opponent was officially known as "the Arachnids" (or "Pseudo Arachnids"), but the MI called them "the Bugs".
70	-->"The historians can't seem to settle whether to call this one '"The Third Space War"' (or the fourth), or whether '"The First Interstellar War"' fits it better. We just call it '"The BugWar"'."
71	** The other opponent's official name was never mentioned, but the MI called them "the Skinnies".
72	* In Heinlein's ''Literature/BetweenPlanets'', the rebelling Venus Nationalists are called "fog-eaters" by Federation troops due to the heavy mists common on Venus and the Federation troops are called "greenies" due to their mottle green fatigues. Among themselves, the Venus guerrillas called themselves "duckfoots".
73	* In both the book and the movie ''Film/BlackHawkDown'', the Somalians are referred to as "Skinnies" by the Rangers, as they apparently were in real life. While many assume that this refers to the malnutrition of the locals, it's actually a reference to ''Starship Troopers'', which is a popular book among the battalion and required reading at West Point.
74	* In Creator/LarryNiven and Jerry Pournelle's ''Literature/{{Footfall}},'' the invading aliens are called the Fithp, but humans call them "Snouts" because they look like baby elephants with two trunks.
75	* In ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' Frenchmen are always referred to as "Frogs", and the Spaniards are called "Dagos".
76	** Also applies to the army, the sailors disparagingly/jokingly referring to the members of [[InterserviceRivalry the rival service]] as "the Lobsters".
77	* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' has "Manties" (Star Kingdom/Empire of Manticore), "Peeps" (People's Repubic of Haven),"Andies" (Andermani Empire), "Sillies" or "Confeds" (Silesian Confederacy), and "Sollies" (Solarian League). Haven's StateSec troopers get called "Black Legs", owing to their black uniform trousers.
78	* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'': United States soldiers referred to the undead as Zack; in the United Kingdom and Europe, they called them Zed. They're also referred to as "ghouls" or "G"s.
79	* ''Literature/TheDraka'': Americans and the rest of the Alliance for Democracy refer to the Draka as "Snakes" for their ruthlessness and amorality. The Draka, for their part, refer to Germans as "Fritz", Russians as "Ivan", Arabs as "Abdul", and normal Americans as "Yank" or "Yankee".
80	* In the ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'' series, humans are called "Big Uglies", the Race are called "Lizards". The Race's official name for Humans is "Tosevites," after their name for Earth (Tosev 3).
81	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
82	** Being TheNicknamer, Harry Dresden does this with most of his enemies (and his allies tend to pick them up). Since IKnowYourTrueName is in effect in this universe this is actually quite a good strategy (some enemies are actually weakened by being referred to by nicknames).
83	** Lampshaded with the Denarians, who Harry learned the name of before interacting with them much, and as such, never gave a nickname to (although, even then, their "official" name is "Order of the Blackened Denarius"). When they show back up, he remarks that actually calling them "Denarians" is giving them far too much credit, and asks his allies for suggested nicknames (they go with "Nickelheads").
84	* The "Buggers" in ''Literature/EndersGame''.
85	** In the ''Literature/EarthUnaware'' prequel, the Venezuelan family of AsteroidMiners who first spot the Bugger ship and see the creatures face-to-"face" label them "Hormigas" ("ants" in Spanish). When they transmit the data to a corporate mining ship, the first scientist to see it immediately rejects the name, as it uses a living language. She immediately reclassifies them as "Formics" (the same thing but in Latin).
86	* ''Literature/TheMoteInGodsEye'':
87	** The humans nickname the aliens "Moties", since it's believed that the alien probe came from the star called "The Mote". Though, it's done not because they're at war, but because they didn't know what the aliens actually are called.
88	** "Outies" refers to anyone trying to fight against the Second Empire of Man.
89	* In ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', the Rebels derisively call Imperials "Bucketheads". More often, they use the term "Imps".
90	** [[Literature/NewJediOrder "Yuuzhan Vong"]] is often shortened to "Vong" by New Republic (then Galactic Alliance) forces. Incidentally this is an insult: using just that part of the name implies the individual is without the favor of the gods. [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Given the circumstances]], the GFFA denizens don't generally care. Meanwhile the fanbase uses "Vong" purely for the sake of convenience.
91	*** "Vong" is for convenience. When people want to get insulting and/or angry they refer to them as "scarheads" due to their ritual scars, which are used to mark rank.
92	** Rebel pilots have several nicknames for TIE fighters: "eyeballs" for regular fighters, "squints" for Interceptors, "brights" for the Advanced models, "dupes" for Bombers, and "trips" for Defenders.
93	* In the ''Literature/StarCarrier'' series, Confederation military personnel call the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Turusch]] by a variety of puns on their name, including "Tush," "Tushies," and "Trash." Their fighters are "Toads" due to looking rather like a lumpy potato.
94	** Even the names "Turusch" and "H'rulka" are adopted from the [[BeePeople Agletsch]]. The H'rulka, for example, call themselves "All of Us" and all the other races, who are tiny in comparison (to the point where a H'rulka in their version of a one-man fighter doesn't notice a team of SEALS[[note]]same thing as Navy [=SEALs=], but with "[[SpaceX space]]" added to the acronym: "'''Se'''a, '''A'''ir, '''L'''and and '''S'''pace teams"[[/note]] entering its ship), are "vermin".
95	* In "Resistance: The Gathering Storm" the alien Chimera are referred to as "stinks" due to the noxious smell they give off. Interestingly, this nickname does not appear in the video game series the novel is based off of.
96	* In "The Enemy" Book series, the children call what's left of the adults: zombies, mothers and fathers, grown ups, sickos, strangers and other names. Nicknames depend on the faction.
97	* ''Literature/Wasp1957'': Sirians call humans "Spakum", which means "bed bug". Humans return the favor by referring to them as "blowflies" (because of the Sirians' blue skin, and thus blue buttocks).
98	* ''Literature/TheHighCrusade'': "Bluefaces", for Wersgorix, because of their skin color.
99	* ''Literature/TheExpanse'': [[{{Heavyworlder}} Earthers]] are "squats", Belters are "skinnies", and Martians are "dusters" (with their navy specifically nicknamed "mickies"). Earthers and Martians get lumped together as "inners" by the Belters. [[spoiler:Later, the Laconians get lumped into the "inner" category, or they get the much less complimentary "fuckonians" nickname. The protomolecule builders are frequently called "Romans" (as the civilization that built the roads) which led to the ones who destroyed their civilization being called "Goths".]]
100	* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' Gondorians do not speak Sauron's name, as that would give him honor that they refuse him. Ironically the occasional use of "the Nameless" (usually in phrases like "servants of the Nameless") itself amounts to giving him a name, and a disparaging one--he who does not deserve a name.
101	* In ''Literature/SmallGods'', Urn reflects that this is one of the problems with a civil war, at least before the sides get entrenched:
102	--> It was much easier when you picked enemies who were a different colour or at least spoke with a funny accent. You could call them "gooks" or something. It made things easier.
103	* In ''Literature/TheLostFleet'' books, [[spoiler:the aliens obsessed with remaining hidden at all costs are dubbed "Enigmas" by the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds. Their true name is never revealed. The OmnicidalManiac "bear-cows" are dubbed "Kicks" by the Alliance fleet, which is short for "Krazy Kows". The ugly but friendly "spider-wolves" are called "Dancers" because their ships seem to dance rather than move through space. It's not until much later that the Alliance actually runs into an alien race that flat-out introduces itself (having developed a translator before even meeting humans) as the Taon. From their perspective, the Taon refer to the Dancers as "eight-legs"]].
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
107	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': both North and South Koreans are occasionally called "gooks" by unsympathetic guest characters, as was the case in real life (from Hangook, the Korean word for Korea).
108	** The North Korean pilot who tries to bomb a nearby ammo dump every day at five is nicknamed "Five O'Clock Charlie."
109	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': people of the Seven Kingdoms, when speaking of tribals from beyond [[TheGreatWall the Wall]], they use the term "wildlings", as they view them as uncivilized. Those living North of the Wall refer to themselves as "the Free Folk", and call the people from the South "kneelers", as they kneel to kings they never chose and serve people regardless if they prove worthy to be their leaders.
110	* ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond'': The term "Chigs" were used to refer to their alien enemies.
111	** Meanwhile, a [[AIIsACrapShoot Silicate]] agent informs the humans that the Chigs have their own unflattering nickname for the humans, which loosely translates as "Red Stink Creature"--rather close in meaning to what the humans call them. Just as we think the Chigs seem "unnatural" by Terran standards because they have green blood and smell like sulfur, by the standards of what "normal" life forms are on the Chig homeworld, our red blood and non-sulfur smell is disgusting and frightening to them.
112	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' has the cylons as "Toasters" or "Bulletheads". Human-form cylons are also called "skinjobs", a ShoutOut to ''Film/{{Bladerunner}}''.
113	* The Sirian ScaryDogmaticAliens of ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' call themselves "visitors" and are referred to as "lizards".
114	* ''Series/Ultraviolet1998'', a character who is a former soldier refers to [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Code 5's]] as "leeches".
115	* Most of the dinosaurs in ''Series/LandOfTheLost1974'' were given nicknames. The local T-Rex was called "Grumpy".
116	* Independent-leaning characters in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' are known to call Alliance troops "purple-bellies". Goes both ways as the Alliance calls them "Browncoats" for their, well, guess.
117	* In ''Franchise/StarTrek'', Cardassians are commonly called "Cardies" or "spoonheads" by their enemies, chiefly Bajorans. Cardassians in turn refer to Klingons as "[[RubberForeheadAliens foreheads]]".
118	* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', O'Neill occasionally refers to the Goa'uld as "snake-heads". This name derives from several things. First, it's a reference to fact that the [[PuppeteerParasite Goa'uld symbiotes]] reside in their host's heads. It can also be applied to the [[{{Mooks}} Jaffa]] of [[ArcVillain Apophis]], whose [[FacelessGoons helmets]] are in the shape of a [[DressCodedForYourConvenience snake's head]], and who have a crude [[SlaveBrand tattoo of a snake on their foreheads]].
119	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Nemesis", a group of jungle freedom fighters are engaged in a guerilla war against an inhuman, genocidal adversary they refer to as "beasts", but primarily "the nemesis". [[spoiler:It turns out to be part of a brainwashing propaganda campaign. However, the uglier aliens refer to the jungle warriors as their "nemesis" as well, suggesting that they also vilify their enemy.]]
120	* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E3FrontierInSpace "Frontier in Space"]], the distinctly reptilian Draconians are referred to by their human enemies as "dragons", usually said with either contempt or fear.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:TabletopGames]]
124	* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}:
125	** Imperial Guardsmen have a wide variety of nicknames for their enemies (such as "greenskins" for orks, "bugs"/"'nids" for tyranids, "blueies" for Tau/their human followers...).
126	** Orks refer to their enemies almost exclusively by insulting or demeaning names: [[SpaceElves "pointy-ears"/"panzees"]], [[TheLegionsOfHell "spikeboys"]], [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent "grots"]], "gits" ([[Literature/CiaphasCain Orks that are not part of the speaker's group]]), "greyskins" (the Tau again), not helped by their FunetikAksent.
127	*** You'll sometimes hear Orks call Space Marines "Beakies", which was inspired by the beaked helmets of the Mark VI "Corvus" armor, even though few Space Marines wear Mark VI armor these days, it having been mostly replaced by the Mark VII "Aquila". Humans as a whole, especially Imperial Guard, are usually called "humies".
128	** The generic Eldar term for humans is "mon-keigh". Not as in monkey, but after a near-mythical race of ogre-like creatures the Eldar fought against eons prior.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Video Games]]
132	* In ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'', the Oseans refer to Yuktobanians as "Yukes".
133	* In ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', Gallian soldiers occasionally refer to their imperial enemies as "imps". There is even an in-game attribute some recruitable soldiers have called "Imp Hater" that gives a damage boost to enemies.
134	* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the marines call the Elites "split-lips" or "hinge-heads", and have plenty of derogatory names for the Covenant's other species too.
135	** In fact, the species names "Grunts", "Jackals", "Brutes", "Elites", "Hunters", "Drones", "Engineers", and "Prophets" are all nicknames given by humans to refer to the Covenant's separate races, with the alien hegemony's members as a whole referred to as "covies". Even Covenant vehicles (Ghosts, Wraiths, Banshees, etc.) are [[ReportingName nicknamed]].
136	* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', Ghouls refer to humans as "Smoothskins." However, it's not clear whether this is necessarily a slur, as even friendly, sympathetic Ghouls refer to humans as this, sometimes even to their faces. On the other hand, when humans refer to Ghouls as "Zombies," it's ''definitely'' intended to be derogatory.
137	** Ditto when Three Dog refers to the Super Mutants as "Frankensteins."
138	* In the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' franchise, expect the humans to call the [[MegaNeko Kilrathi]] some variation of "Cats" or "Furballs", while the Kilrathi call the humans "Hairless Apes".
139	* In video games featuring a war between the United States and [[MakeTheBearAngryAgain a resurgent Russia]], the American soldiers will sometimes use the hypothetical UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era nickname "Ivan" to refer to their enemies.
140	* In ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'' the ISA refer to the Helghans as "Higs".
141	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': The Republic forces sometimes call the Sith Empire troops "Imps". Imperials, in turn, refer to their rivals as "Pubs".
142	* ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'': Aliens are called either "ET" or "X-Ray".
143	** Several of the alien names are confirmed to be nicknames given to them by soldiers, which stuck.
144	--> '''Vahlen''': "This is the most physically aggressive specimen we've discovered so far, which the troops ''fondly'' refer to as "The Muton". I can only assume there's a [[NoodleIncident colorful backstory]] for such a designation."
145	* In the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' comic, the army codename the infected as "Whiskey Deltas" ('''w'''alking '''d'''ead).
146	* In ''VideoGame/ArmA 3'', the NATO troops on Altis and Stratis derogatively refer to the local armed forces, the AAF, as "Greenbacks". This doesn't help [[spoiler: when the AAF turn around and actively engage NATO forces on Stratis in an effort to push them off the island.]]
147	* In ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'', the SpacePirates usually call Samus "The Hunter" in their logs. [[spoiler:In the "Metroid Prime" subseries, Dark Samus is called "The Dark Hunter" by them.]]
148	* The titular ''VideoGame/{{Einhander}}'' is actually the name given to the PlayerCharacter's spacecraft by the Earth Forces enemy faction. Its ''real'' name is either "Astraea" or "Endymion", depending on the specific model you're flying.
149	* In ''Videogame/FarCry5'', the local resistance has dubbed the [[{{Cult}} Project at Eden's Gate]] the "[[FunWithAcronyms Peggies]]".
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder: Web Comics]]
153	* ''Webcomic/{{Avania}}'': Avanian soldiers often refer to Osprian soldiers / Ospran individuals as "stripes" due to their characteristic eyestripe markings.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Web Original]]
157	* In the [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP Foundation Mythos]]: Two splintered sects of [[MachineWorship The Church of the Broken God]], the [[SteamPunk Cogwork Orthodoxy]] and the [[NeuralImplanting Church of Maxwellism]], disparagingly call each other "tickers"[[labelnote:]]"Due to the extent of their mechanical augmentation, members of this sect often emit audible ticking or tapping sounds..."[[/labelnote]] and "hummers"[[labelnote:]]"Due to their use of computer fan noise as a meditative aid..."[[/labelnote]] in their animosity.
158	* In ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'' humans named the denizens of hell [[Series/{{Blackadder}} "Baldricks"]], mostly to avoid calling them demons and thus imply that they are very much a beatable enemy. The name caught on after Gordon Brown replied to The Message with the phrase "Sod off, Baldrick!"
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Western Animation]]
162	* During the ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', the Maximals would sometimes refer to the Predacons as "Preds".
163	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': The eco-villains tend to call the titular team "Planet pests", "Planet pains", "Planet punks" and other similar variations on their title.
164	* In ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'', the Terrans use either "Neos" or "Sapes" for [[ArtificialHuman Neosapiens]]. The first one is PC, the second is a FantasticSlur, as Marsh points out once.
165	* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Throughout the series, Republic forces call droids "clankers" (for the clanking sound they make). Ahsoka Tano would call the droids "tinnies" for the first few seasons before largely dropping the nickname.
166	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': Michelangelo gives virtually every mutated enemy of theirs a nickname; Dogpound/Rahzar for Chris Bradford, Fishface for Xever, etc. Humorously, in ''The Pig and the Rhino'', his naming the mutated Anton Zeck and Ivan Steranko as "Bebop" and "Rocksteady" was a case of LineOfSightName.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Real Life / History]]
170	* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Germans were often called "Huns", "Gerry", or the "Bosch" by the Allies and "Fritz" by Russians.
171	** To some degree in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII as well, especially by British. The "Fritz" nickname was even more common during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Great Patriotic War]] than during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Imperialistic War]].
172	* Works made in (or to a lesser extent made later but set in) UsefulNotes/WorldWarII refer to Japanese as "Japs" or "Nips" (short for Nipponese), and Germans "Krauts," though some UsefulNotes/WorldWarI vets may still call them the "Huns"; "Jerry" was another popular term.[[note]]One which actually managed to live on in a non-derogatory form; a "Jerry Can" got its name because the German-designed fuel cans were far superior to the ones the Allies were using at the time.[[/note]] Calling Italians "Wops" also crops up whenever writers remember the Italians were even in the war. Even officially issued documents like "Know Your PT Boat" (US Navy Bureau of Ships Technical Publication No. 9) did this.
173	* The Germans had their own nicknames for the Allies: "Tommy" (British), "Amis" (Anglo-American), and "Иван"/"Ivan" (Russian).
174	* During [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober the Russian Civil War]] it was "redbelly" (краснопузы ''krasnopuzy'') by the White for the Red, and "whitehoof" (белокопытов ''belokopytny'') the other way round.
175	* As noted above under ''Series/{{MASH}}'', during the Korean War both North and South Koreans were sometimes disparagingly called "gooks" by American troops, from Hangook (한국), the Korean word for Korea.
176	* Works set in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar will contain references to "Charlie" (from the radio callsign for Vietcong, Victor Charlie) in more or less official communiques and to 'gooks' (rolled over from the Korean War) or 'gomers' in the American troops' slang.
177	* In UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, insurgents have been referred to as "hajis", "ragheads", [[BestialityIsDepraved "goatfuckers"]], "sand niggers" or "dune coons" by US armed forces.
178	* During the Afghan War in the USSR, and the Chechen War in UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia, "dukh" ("spirit") or "shaytan" (Islamic devil) was used as the Russian equivalent for the above mentioned "haji" or "raghead".
179	* Russia is usually nicknamed "Иван"/"Ivan" in wars real, hypothetical, and Cold. During the Cold War, Americans additionally used "Russki" and "commie". The latter, referring to political ideology rather than ethnicity, was also applied to other communist enemies and to Americans regarded as too sympathetic to the Soviet Union.
180	* [[UsefulNotes/FinnsWithFearsomeForests "Finns"]] usually called Russians "Иван"/"Ivan" or "Ваня"/"Vanya". Sometimes also the derogatory "ryssä" and "slobo" were used. Germans were called "Fritz" or "Saku"; also names like "sakemanni" and "niksmanni" are known.
181	** The Finnish Civil War 1918 was extremely brutal and the Reds were called "punikki" ("rednicks") or "kommari" (quite literally "commies") and Whites as "lahtari" ("butchers"). Technically ''both'' sides were guilty of high treason.
182	* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution had "Yankee"/"Yank" used for the Americans (made famous for its use in "Yankee Doodle").
183	** Period pieces often have the Americans calling British soldiers "redcoats", but historically, they were called "the King's men" by the American rebels.
184	* In the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar you had "Rebs" or "Johnny Rebs" for the Confederates. "Yankees" were often used for the Northerners, but this predated the Civil War.
185	* Among the UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks, the Army (and to the lesser extent the Airforce) would prefer this trope be named "Nicknaming The Adversary". Only the Navy is referred to as [[InterserviceRivalry "The Enemy".]]
186	** Most of the InterserviceRivalry in the United States Military is this trope with a helping of good nature humor (usually).
187	* Within the ''Videogame/{{Ingress}}'' community, it is common for players to refer to players of the opposing faction as "Smurfs" (Resistance) and "Frogs" (Enlightened).
188	* [[Literature/LordOfTheRings Orc]] has become a rather common insult directed at Russians, especially Russian soldiers by Ukrainians, ever since the start of the 2022 Ukrano-Russian War.
189	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NicknamingTheEnemy