Corn: The Girl, Not the Grain

Have you ever been sitting in class on the first day wondering if you are actually in the right room? You sit there and look around the room for someone you know so that you can ask them what the course number of the class is. You see no one, so you are forced to sit there and wait until your name is called.


The professor comes in and sits down. They greet the class and pull out the attendance sheet, and you hope your name is on that list because if not you'll look like an idiot getting up and walking out. Then a bigger idiot when you find your right classroom and walk in almost fifteen minutes late (if you're lucky).

So you're sitting there twiddling your thumbs as the professor reads the names out loud. Mike Allen, Corn Anderson, there is a pause as the professor looks around the room and repeats the name, Corn Anderson. And suddenly you perk up because that's your last name, and the first letter of Corn is the same letter as your first name so you tentatively raise your hand and clear your throat.

"Corn Anderson?" the professor asks.

"Corinne," you answer giving your real name, because for some reason this professor has assumed that the "i" is silent and the extra syllable is not needed when pronouncing a name.

The professor nods, apologizes and continues on with the roll call. But the damage has been done. The people you are sitting next to and the three kids in the back of the room that you didn't see that you went to high school with have heard this and now they have decided that your nickname will be Corn forever. They share the name with all their friends and then it gets back to your close friends and suddenly, everyone has decided that the "i" is silent and the extra syllable doesn't matter.



This was not the first time I was called Corn. It seems to happen quite often. Referees used to call me Corn when they were checking the players in before a game, teachers throughout high school, and a few extracurricular activities like swim, gymnastics, and drawing class. However, the worst part is not that people decide that the name is not what it appears to be.

No the worst part, is that I cannot even eat corn. It makes me sick to my stomach. My friends and those around me who know of my nickname and my particular relationship with corn find it that much funnier. A girl called Corn, who can't eat corn. Apparently that is extremely funny, and sadly I agree.

Got an odd nickname or a weird story about how you got yours, feel free to share!