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Help[Opinions] Re: Patrick or Peter?
in reply to a message by Siân
It's definitely the "pee" sound that turns me off Peter, also.
And I've noticed that when this name comes up, I'm the only one who thinks of the fact that "peter" is a slang term for penis. Maybe it's an old-fashioned term that isn't used much any longer, but I always think of it. Motivated by curiosity, I just Googled "Peter as a slang term" and pulled up a website called Slang City which lists names that have another meaning as a slang term and then judges how bad the name is. It says that Peter is not bad because the slang term is secondary to the name. Then again, it also says that Colin is "bad" because it can be pronounced with a long O, the way that Colin Powell does, and this means "the large intestine." I think that's a dumb thing to say because most Colins don't pronounce it that way and I can't see that making Colin a bad name. My nephew's name is Colin, not pronounced with a long O, and he doesn't have any problem with it. So I'm going to discount what this site says about Peter.
Well, even so, it does seem that I'm the only one who makes the association of Peter and penis.
And I've noticed that when this name comes up, I'm the only one who thinks of the fact that "peter" is a slang term for penis. Maybe it's an old-fashioned term that isn't used much any longer, but I always think of it. Motivated by curiosity, I just Googled "Peter as a slang term" and pulled up a website called Slang City which lists names that have another meaning as a slang term and then judges how bad the name is. It says that Peter is not bad because the slang term is secondary to the name. Then again, it also says that Colin is "bad" because it can be pronounced with a long O, the way that Colin Powell does, and this means "the large intestine." I think that's a dumb thing to say because most Colins don't pronounce it that way and I can't see that making Colin a bad name. My nephew's name is Colin, not pronounced with a long O, and he doesn't have any problem with it. So I'm going to discount what this site says about Peter.
Well, even so, it does seem that I'm the only one who makes the association of Peter and penis.
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Replies
I have the same association
(maybe because we're not far apart in age), but I prefer to ignore it. I focus on the apostle Simon Peter, and all the many other positive Peter references (leaving aside sillier stuff like the pumpkin eater. :-/ )
Similarly I have a preference for Denis over Dennis, and resist all those who point out the potential for Denis to be misread, or teased, as Penis.
I also chose to ignore all the people (well, two of them) who insisted that Scarlett would become Harlot and was therefore unusable.
Anyway. I do have the same Peter/penis association; I just ignore it.
(maybe because we're not far apart in age), but I prefer to ignore it. I focus on the apostle Simon Peter, and all the many other positive Peter references (leaving aside sillier stuff like the pumpkin eater. :-/ )
Similarly I have a preference for Denis over Dennis, and resist all those who point out the potential for Denis to be misread, or teased, as Penis.
I also chose to ignore all the people (well, two of them) who insisted that Scarlett would become Harlot and was therefore unusable.
Anyway. I do have the same Peter/penis association; I just ignore it.
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I wish it was that easy to disassociate my love for Chloris from a certain part of the female anatomy.
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That's probably why people started using "Collin"... I much prefer Colin, prn with the short O sound.
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I've only ever heard (seen, actually) the Peter = penis equation in an American context. Never in a British text, and certainly never here in South Africa, so I used it for my son without compunction. I also like Patrick, but I obviously prefer Peter.
In the 18th century, Patrick had a very negative Irish connotation in England and Patricks who wanted to make it in London society used to call themselves Peter, the better to blend in.
In the 18th century, Patrick had a very negative Irish connotation in England and Patricks who wanted to make it in London society used to call themselves Peter, the better to blend in.
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I believe that Patrick had a negative Irish connotation in the US, also, but at a later time, the mid-nineteenth century, at the time that the US was being flooded with Irish immigrants.
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