This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

I believe...
Ned, Nan and the like arouse as contractions of the medieval endearing phrases mine + name (like mine Anne or mine Ed).
If you search in the archives, you can find Merriment's take on the issue (of course, hers was a far more coherent explanation)
vote up1vote down

Replies

Me, coherent?Seems unlikely..
hic!
vote up1vote down
Ah, I (vaguely) remember that! *Tries to search* Wah, the search won't let me search for any words that are less than four letters!Well, I don't particularly feel like digging through the archives manually, so I'll take your and Merriment's word for it regarding Ned, Nan, etc. :-)Miranda
vote up1vote down
Thanks! :-Da
vote up1vote down
When searching for a name that is three letters long, put a space before the first letter.
vote up1vote down
Gotcha! Thanks. :-)a
vote up1vote down
Yay! Thanks a lotn/t means no text. Why are you peeking in here :o)?
vote up1vote down