Most annoying college/university nicknames?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have been saying "Bama" a lot around here and it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I think I remember finding "Cal" mildly annoying once upon a distant time, too, so maybe I'm just not a nickname fan, but I feel like a university's name should have some gravitas, and I'm sorry but "Bama" has absolutely none.

"Ole Miss" bugs me a little less than "Bama," but I have a hard time imagining it pronounced in any voice other than Foghorn Leghorn's.

What other dumb school names am I missing?

Lol. Now that’s all I can hear when I imagine it.

[Anonymous]

'Cuse for Syracuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sort of different, but I hate demonyms (not sure if that's the right word). There is nothing more cringeworthy than identifying as a "Smithie" or a "Yalie." Even worse is when it's a parent referring to "my Smithie" or "my daughter is a Yalie"...gah.

Other choices include “Old Blue” and “Bulldog”. I’d rather go with Yalie. “Yalien” is kind of fun — although it hasn’t really caught on.

[Anonymous]

“the U” for Miami

As opposed to all the other “U”s??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate it when people say 'Princely' but the worst is 'Em-style' for Emory.

I don’t know anyone who has ever said “Princely”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse comes from a country where rice is a major part of the diet. When we were exploring options for our kids’ colleges, spouse wasted no time in vetoing Rice University due to its name. Penn was also off the list due to sounding too phallic in spouse’s native language. Bucknell was yet another that generated negative vibes due to its name. I would imagine there are languages in which “Tufts” sounds even stranger than it does to Anglophone ears.

I always wondered how tired Haverford grads must get of explaining that they didn’t go to Harvard, & how Washington U (St. Louis) alumni can stay calm when explaining to forgetful Uncle Cyrus for the sixth time where they went to school.

That's not a nickname, of course, but it seems like a misunderstanding that would be kind of beneficial. It's better than Pomona College, which is confused for Cal Poly Pomona by local residents, Colgate, which is confused for the toothpaste or a dental school, or Mary Hardin-Baylor, which could be confused with Baylor.

A common nickname that seems like it's almost designed to confuse is "Conn" for Connecticut College, which seems like it would suggest that the kid goes to the more well known (at least nationally) "UConn".

As far as official nicknames used for sports purposes, I don't love the schools that have different ones for the men's and women's teams, especially where there is nothing about the original nickname that was necessarily gendered and required a different version for the women. Check out these from DII and III schools

DII

Rams and Rambelles (Angelo State)
Wonder Boys and Golden Suns (Arkansas Tech)
Boll Weevils and Cotton Blossoms (University of Arkansas at Monticello)
Big Blues and Lady Blues (Bluefield State)
Buccaneers and Lady Buccaneers (Christian Brothers)
Statesmen and Lady Statesmen (Delta State)
Broncos and Lady Broncos (Fayetteville State)
Bisons and Lady Bisons (Harding)
Thorobreds and Thorobrettes (Kentucky State)
Chaparelles and Lady Chaps (Lubbock Christian)
Cowboys and Cowgirls (New Mexico Highlands)
Eagles and Lady Eagles (Oklahoma Christian)

DIII

Stags and Athenas (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Gents and Ladies (Centenary of Louisiana)
Yellow Jackets and Lady Jackets (Defiance)
Cowboys and Cowgirls (Hardin-Simmons)
Blueboys and Lady Blues (Illinois College)
Majors and Lady Majors (Millsaps)
Lumberjacks and Lumberjills (Northalnd)
Yeomen and Yeowomen (Oberlin)

I've heard of the womens teams at U of South Carolina referred to as the "lady cocks."

My (Catholic) high school mascot was the Popes. The women's teams were (and still are, I believe) referred to as the "Lady Popes." I kid you not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mizzou

That one I actually like. It looks like the name - MSU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sort of different, but I hate demonyms (not sure if that's the right word). There is nothing more cringeworthy than identifying as a "Smithie" or a "Yalie." Even worse is when it's a parent referring to "my Smithie" or "my daughter is a Yalie"...gah.

+1
Obie… gag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Hokie” - dumb and annoying name

That’s the mascot, not the nickname of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Hokie” - dumb and annoying name

That’s the mascot, not the nickname of the school.

Not according to Virginia Tech

https://history.unirel.vt.edu/traditions/mascots_nicknames.html

Hokie is the nickname and HokieBird is the masoc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“I've heard of the womens teams at U of South Carolina referred to as the "lady cocks."


No, that’s the Penn swim team.

NP. Could you please learn to quote posts correctly, by clicking on the “quote” button??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Hokie” - dumb and annoying name

That’s the mascot, not the nickname of the school.

Not according to Virginia Tech

https://history.unirel.vt.edu/traditions/mascots_nicknames.html

Hokie is the nickname and HokieBird is the masoc

You are confused. People don’t say, “I attend Hokie.” They might say, “I am a Hokie - I go to VA Tech.”

[Anonymous]

It’s not a nickname for the school but a building on the school - I hate Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning is now referred to as Cathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not a nickname for the school but a building on the school - I hate Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning is now referred to as Cathy.

That building is so ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Hokie” - dumb and annoying name

That’s the mascot, not the nickname of the school.

Not according to Virginia Tech

https://history.unirel.vt.edu/traditions/mascots_nicknames.html

Hokie is the nickname and HokieBird is the masoc

You are confused. People don’t say, “I attend Hokie.” They might say, “I am a Hokie - I go to VA Tech.”

Did you not click on the link? "Hokie" is NOT the mascot. The school literally tells you their nickname is Hokie and their mascot is a HokieBird.