Nicknames of Places: Origins And Meanings of the Alternate And Secondary Names, Sobriquets, Titles, Epithets And ...

Many places in the world, from the smallest settlement to the largest expanse of land or water, have a secondary name. This new dictionary is devoted to over 4,500 such names. What is a secondary placename? For the purposes of this book, it is a name, nickname, title, or slogan by which a place is known in addition to its formal or usual name. Such a name is rarely if ever found on maps or in gazetteers, although it features widely in travel guides, journalistic articles, and literature of all kinds. Consider New York City. In addition to the Big Apple, arguably its most recognizable nickname, the city has been known by a number of other secondary names—Baghdad on the Hudson, City of Ambition, Empire City, Gateway of the USA, Gotham, Noo Yawk, and simply NYC.