Tuesday, February 22, 2011

They called the President what?

Did you know there’s a U.S.president whom people called Bubba? And one whose college buddies dubbed Iron Butt?

Want to find out who? In honor of President’s Day, I’m posting several presidential nicknames as well as a few hints. See if you guess which president the moniker belongs to. If you’re right, I’ll post the name along with yours. And later, I’ll give you all the answers.

Ready to play? Here we go:

  1. Growing up in southern United States, this person was called Bubba by his family.

  2. This law student put in so many hours studying, he earned the nickname Iron Butt.

  3. This president hated to waste electricity and would actually patrol the White House, turning off lights, a behavior that caused his staffers to dub him Light-Bulb Lyndon.

  4. People who didn’t like this reforming president used to refer to him as That man in the White House.

  5. As a 23-year-old geologist he surveyed lands in the Australian Outback. His co-workers referred to him as The Chief.

  6. Having been trained as a tailor, this president earned the label The Tennessee Tailor.

  7. His opposition deemed him The Senator from Pendergast, Mister Missouri and High-Tax Harry, but you probably know him better by Give ‘Em Hell Harry, the name he used in his campaign slogan.

  8. This president, now deceased -- whose 100th birthday was celebrated recently -- was called Dutch and The Gipper.

  9. This president’s given name was James Earl, but he went by one of the common nicknames for James.

  10. Most called him Jerry, but so many people felt he was such a nice fellow that Mr. Nice Guy became one of his monikers. He was born with the name Leslie Lynch King, Jr.

  11. This man was known as The Sage of Monticello. At the time he was president, they proclaimed him A Man of the People. His face is on an American dollar, but I won't tell you which one.

  12. Creek Indians called him Sharp Knife. Soldiers under his command said he was as tough as hickory, earning him the name Old Hickory.

  13. Let's end with an easy one. Growing up, he liked to be known as Barry. The press dubbed him No Drama Obama.

Have the nicknames helped you guess each of these presidents? Please post your answers in the comments and thanks for playing.




  1. Hmm. I know some of the easier ones like Reagan, Obama, Lyndon Johnson, and (I think) Harry Truman, but not others. I should and probably did long ago but I have old brain cells! LOL.

  2. I'd need more sleep before testing my memory and hazarding a guess! Great idea!

    Happy TT,

    13 Things

  3. 3. Johnson
    7. Truman
    8. Reagan
    10. Gerald Ford
    12. Andrew Jackson
    13. Obama

    Too early to try and figure out the rest. LOL.

  4. Was Bush called Bubba? I only knew a few too.

  5. I only guessed a few as well, but this was a very clever TT! I love learning new things. Hope you'll stop by mine--this is the first time I've participated in quite a while.


  6. I'm only going to try the ones I'm reasonably sure of:

    3. Lyndon Johnson
    7. Harry Truman
    8. Ronald Reagan
    9. Jimmy Carter
    10. Gerald Ford
    11. Thomas Jefferson
    12. Andrew Jackson (I can't stand the man)
    13. President Barack Obama

    How'd I do? :)

  7. I recognize Reagan, but that's about it.

  8. CountryDew,
    You're guesses sound right! Thanks for playing.

  9. Xakara,
    It's cool. Thanks for leaving a comment.

  10. kandyblossom,
    Your guesses are correct! I'll be posting your answers in a little while. :)

  11. colleen,
    Sorry, but there's another president who has the nickname Bubba, but I appreciate you playing.

  12. Cindy Swanson,
    Thanks. I'll be stopping by soon.

  13. Kimberly Menozzi,
    Great guesses. They're right on.

  14. Alice Audrey,
    Super! You've correctly matched Ronald Reagan with his nicknames! Thanks for playing.

  15. 1. Clinton
    2. Nixon
    3. Johnson (LBJ)
    4. FDR
    5. Hoover
    6. Andrew Johnson
    7. Harry S. Truman
    8. Reagan
    9. Jimmy Carter
    10. Gerald Ford
    11. Jefferson
    12. Jackson
    13. Obama

  16. Heather
    Yes, girl. You've got 'em. Hooray!

  17. Wow, some of those were really hard! Congrats to Heather for getting them all right. I would have done horribly!

    Here's a total tangent for you, but it seems like a lot of our most recent presidents are left-handed (I'm weird and pay attention to those things). Pretty sure Clinton, Bush Sr., and Obama are all lefties. Anyone know what percentage of presidents fall into this category? I guess I could Google it, but I'm lazy!

  18. Lyndon Johnson and Harry Truman are all I can think of. No. 13 is very obvious :) I enjoyed this T13.

  19. Alissa,
    Left-handed you say? Interesting. I'll have to look into that. Thanks.

  20. Hazel,
    Yeah, you're right 13 was really easy. I wanted to balance out some of the harder ones. :) Thanks for playing.

  21. Okay, drum roll please. Here are the official answers and the smart winners who guessed them. :) Your names will go down in Otherworld Diner history.
    1.Bill Clinton-Heather
    2.Richard Nixon-Heather
    3.Lyndon B. Johnson- CountryDew, kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    4.Franklin Delano Roosevelt- kandyblossom, Heather
    5.Herbert Clark Hoover- Heather
    6.Andrew Johnson- Heather
    7.Harry Truman- CountryDew, kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    8.Ronald Reagan- CountryDew, kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Alice Audrey, Heather
    9.Jimmy Carter- Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    10.Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.- kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    11.Thomas Jefferson- kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    12.Andrew Jackson- kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    13.Barack Obama- CountryDew, kandyblossom, Kimberly Menozzi, Heather
    Thanks for playing.