At my workplace, they call me big G cuz that's the first letter of my name and I am big. Now I don't know if that could be taken in the wrong way by someone who doesn't know me and doesn't see me when my colleagues mention me as big G? For example, in the urban dictionary I read big G also means big gay or big Gangster and that's how native speakers mostly use it. After having read that it feels a bit awkward to be called big G because I am neither a gay nor a gangsta.:) Is it okay though?
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2I think this question could be better served on the site Workplace - workplace.stackexchange.com– user29952Aug 26, 2018 at 17:47
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2There aren't formal rules for nicknames. They can mean different things to different people, or nothing at all. And some people can read things into anything. Just the act of giving someone a nickname has complex social implications, and the nickname, itself, can be somewhat irrelevant.– fixer1234Aug 26, 2018 at 19:20
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1@fixer1234 - Your comment makes me think of Booger McFarland, currently a sports talk show host in the U.S. Ordinarily, that’s anything but a nice nickname, but he seems to have embraced it.– J.R. ♦Aug 26, 2018 at 19:53
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I don't think this question is off-topic here. I think it could be considered a problem regarding usage and it could be framed/worded/titled a little differently to show that. I think it can be answered here in terms of typical English usage and patterns.– Em.Aug 27, 2018 at 6:27
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2 Answers
I agree with James. You can't take everything you see on Urban Dictionary seriously. It does have legitimate attestations of certain usages, but it's also full of joke answers and one-offs. Also, just because a word or phrase has a particular meaning or slang usage doesn't mean that's how it's being used. There has to be compelling evidence or context to determine that.
In your case, I don't see anything wrong with "Big G". You, yourself, admit that you are big. People are commonly called "Big". Common nicknames include "Big Al" and "Big Bob". There's a radio host here in LA called "Big Boy". Yes, he was rather large.
In other cases, it could be a bit of friendly, ironic ribbing. Perhaps they call you "Big" despite being short and thin.
"Big" can also mean significant, important, etc. Maybe you did something important or memorable. Maybe you're the boss.
As for "G", calling someone by their first initial is not unheard of. I can't think of a famous person, but some people go by "J" or "Jay" (despite "J" being short for the slang word "joint", meaning marijuana cigarette). Furthermore, this is common when someone has a name that is difficult for English speakers to pronounce. I've seen lots of teachers and professors go by a single letter, for example, a "Mr. K".
Lastly, even if they did mean "Big Gangsta", it's not necessarily an insult. It doesn't have to mean that you're some kind of criminal. It could be a metaphoric way to highlight some of your features. Maybe you are a cool person who's rebellious.
In any case, there's no need to be concerned. Unless you have a good reason to believe they're being malicious, you can just take it to be an endearing nickname. Others will take it the same way.
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1As for that "metaphoric" use, nicknames are often intentionally ironic (for example, a very big man may get the nickname "Tiny" or a bald man might be nicknamed "Curly").– J.R. ♦Aug 27, 2018 at 21:08
Be careful with Urban Dictionary. It can be useful to learn the meaning of slang terms that you hear other people use, but it also includes terms that are used very infrequently, or just within a particular group. Its very nature means that there is little or no censorship of its contents, so it contains entries that I would not recommend using in polite society.
'Big G' is just a nickname that people call you. There is nothing wrong with it; I have heard a lot worse. I have never heard 'Big G' used in either of the two ways that Urban Dictionary says. In fact the top definition from Urban Dictionary for Big G is:
Big G
A reference name for anything starting with the letter "G". Often used for "government" or a person's name, such as "Gerry".
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Re. Urban Dictionary: or quite often, terms which were simply made up by the poster, and which nobody actually uses at all.– user27353Aug 26, 2018 at 23:35