My name is so bad that people assume it's short for something else but I'll have the last laugh with my epic comebacks

The Sun

12 hours ago

HAVING a unique name has its ups and downs, but having to constantly explain it to new people cant be pretty exhausting.
That's what this person recently discovered, and it's no wonder people were left scratching their heads.
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They took to Reddit to reveal their unusual moniker - Rat.
"I'm doing a lot of introductions at the moment, and people are always intrigued by my name, they keep asking the history behind it or what it's short for," they explained in the viral post.
The only problem was the name isn't short for anything, so there was nothing to tell.
And although they did have one funny comeback to the constant questions, the same response was getting a bit old, they explained.
"Aside from the jokey answers like ' Ratatouille ', I don't have anything to tell them, my name has always just been R-A-T, it's my full first name," they said.
They continued: "I'm getting kind of sick of having the same conversation if I'm real, so does anyone know a name that Rat could be realistically short for?
"It would certainly make introductions a bit less painless for me. I just moved to a new job, and they're more of a posh crowd who are ve r y nosy lmao. I can see the questions brewing."
Luckily, the fellow Reddit users had some incredible responses lined up for any further prying questions.
One said: "You gotta hit 'em with the ol' Rat-a-tat-tat."
And a second came up with a whole list of potential names including Ratthew, Rattlesnake, Ratorichal question, and Ratasha.
A third took a different approach and said: "An answer like 'Rattus rattus' could help drive the full name point home in a slightly sarcastic way."
Another joked they should tell people the name is short for 'Mouse'.
"My parents called me 'Brat' but I dropped the first letter," was another suggested response.
But others though telling people another backstory was a better idea as one said: "It's your nickname from prison. You ratted everyone out and got early release. Better to not ask why you were in."
"It is short for Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat, obviously," someone else joked.
Meanwhile, some Reddit users were more focused on why Rat didn't know where their name really came from.
They said she never asked when they were younger, but have now missed the opportunity to find out from their parents.
"I've never asked. I think maybe it was after a musician or artist back when they were kids, but then again, my best friend growing up was also a boy called Badger," they explained.
"I'm not even the first Rat I've met, we both thought each other were taking the piss though when we first met because it's a bit rare.
"I'm White British, so as far as I know there's no cultural meaning to it."
Are Unique Baby Names Worth The Hassle?
YOU may think having a unique name helps you to stand out, but is it all it's cracked up to be?
Fabulous' Deputy Editor Josie Griffiths reveals the turmoil she faced with her own name while growing up.
When I was a child, all I wanted was one of those personalised keyrings with my name on it.
But no joy, the closest I could find was Rosie, Joseph (not great for a little girl) and Joanne.
Josie is short for Josephine, which is a French name, and I managed to reach my 20s without ever meeting anyone who shared it.
When I try to introduce myself to people, I get all sorts of random things - like Tracey and Stacey - which can be pretty annoying.
Although I have come into contact with a couple of Josies over the last year - there seems to be a few of us around my age - it's still a much rarer name than most of my friends have.
On the whole I don't mind it, at least it's not rude or crazily spelt.
And it means I can get away with 'doing a Cheryl' and just referring to myself as Josie.
I'm getting married this year and some friends are shocked that I'm changing my surname, as it's not seen as very cool or feminist to do so these days, but I explain to them that I'm not that attached to Griffiths as I'd always just say 'hi it's Josie' when ringing a mate up.
I think it's nice to be unique and I'll definitely try and replicate this when naming my own kids.
It's the rude names you've got to watch out for, so after nine years as a lifestyle journalist I'll definitely be avoiding those.