Gracesmum I also had a Mrs Farrell for maths in a Scottish Academy but do not recognise your other nicknames. We had a maths teacher called Benjamin Milne - very tall and thin, known universally as Big Ben, as was his father, who taught my mother maths in the same school, before him. We also had a 'Poor Old Joe (French) his room had a neatly made plaque on the door which read Chez Joe ; Senex (Latin of course) and the other Latin teacher Miss Rodger, known to one and all as 'Jolly' in her room there was a skull and cross bones flag on the window cords which we raised and lowered at the start and end of class while someone made that pipe noise and we all stood to attention. It was fluttering away gaily one day when an inspector arrived unexpectedly in class - Jolly engaged him in examining the fancy new revolving blackboard - while one of the boys whipped it down and hid it.
Can't resist repeating, while we are on the subject of nicknames, a story (allegedly true) of a very posh visiting Sheriff at Paisley Sheriff Court who required the services of an interpreter to understand statements from the accused and witnesses. When someone in the dock, invited to describe what had led up to the crime said ' Ah cam stottin oot o the Caley Bingo and dodged in tae get Chips and Ginger', the Sheriff stopped him in his tracks demanding to know the full name of the Chaps, referred to as Chips and Ginger and also the make of the vehicle referred to as a Caley Bingo because he had never heard of such a thing.
[sorry what was this thread about???)
