"Chick" = nickname for "Charles"

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:14 PM -0700 9/18/06, Arnold M. Zwicky wrote:
>On Sep 18, 2006, at 4:49 PM, Jon Lighter wrote:
>
>>An "early" printed ex. of this (obs.?) U.S. alternative to "Chuck":
>
>not entirely obsolete.  Yale professor Charles Perrow, the author of
>the wonderful Normal Accidents, was known as Chick when he was an
>undergraduate at Black Rock College, and is sometimes so called
>today.  the story, as i recall it, was that when he arrived at Black
>Rock, there was already a Charles, a Charlie, and a Chuck, and it was
>a small place, so he had to be something else, hence Chick.
>
>arnold
>

Interesting.  I know Chick Perrow from his (outstanding)
reputation--the Sociology Dept. is still trying recover from the hole
left by his retirement.  Our Deputy Provost is Charles Long, known
universally as Chip.  I wonder if some of the old "Chick" Charleses
have become "Chip" instead.  The only Chick I know of besides Perrow
is the great former L. A. Lakers' announcer Chick Hearn, but he was
born Francis, not Charles.  Oh, and there's also Chick Corea, the
jazz pianist, who I see from the web was officially Armando Anthony
Corea.  Any other Chicks < Charles besides Perrow who are more
contemporary than, say, Hall of Famer Charles "Chick" Hafey (National
League outfielder from the 1920s-1930s)?

LH

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