varies. Sobriquets remain a common feature of speech today. Examples The King (of rock and roll) Elvis Presley, famous vocalist and musician The Big Yin – Billy Connolly, Glaswegian comedian commonly referred to as "The Big Yin", meaning "The Big One" in Scots The Big Apple – New York City The Big Smoke - London Godzone – New Zealand, from "God's own country" Albion – Britain Columbia – The United States or the Americas, poetic name Dixie, Dixieland (from the Mason–Dixon line) – the eleven Southern states that seceded and fought against the U.S. in the American Civil War The Fourth Estate – the press Land of the Rising Sun - Japan Pearl of the Orient – the Philippines, referring to its location in the Southeast Asia (or the East, with "Orient" meaning "East") Graveyard of Empires – Afghanistan Londonistan – London, refers to the growing Muslim population of the city Uncle Sam – the U.S. in general or specifically, its government (likely from the initials "U.S.") Uncle Joe - Joseph Stalin The Sun King - Louis XIV of France Papa Doc - François Duvalier, 34th president of Haiti The Sage of Chelsea – Thomas Carlyle, Scots philosopher The War to End All Wars – World War I; since World War II, used ironically The Windy City – Chicago, Illinois The Motor City - Detroit, Michigan Yankee (or "Yank" for short) – first recorded use attributed to British General James Wolfe, who used the word "Yankee" in 1758 to refer to the New England soldiers under his command. "I can afford you two companies of Yankees, and the more, because they are better for ranging and scouting than either work or vigilance". Later British use of the word was in a derogatory manner, as seen in a cartoon published in 1775 ridiculing "Yankee" (American) soldiers. In the Southern United States, the term is used in derisive reference to any Northerner, especially one who has migrated to the South and maintains derisive attitudes towards Southerners and the Southern way of life. Used outside the U.S. to mean any American; sometimes derogatory in usage Man's best friend - dogs, derived from the origins of dogs, it indicates the relationship that has developed between the two species as they have each evolved to form a symbiotic relationship that is unique among human relationships to domestic animals. References Citations Sources External links Semantics Word