Nicknames

I am like George W. Bush in a number of ways. Both of us are white and American, for instance. We also both like the United States, despite its many past and current mishaps; and we like to eat pretzels.*

Dubya and I are also similar in our tendency to bestow nicknames upon our friends and countrymenandwomen. I realized this only twenty minutes ago when passing ____ near the campus green. (Campus green, by the way, is a terrific and underused term here at _____ College/University). I greeted ____ as "Phalanges." I have also recently referred to others as "beartato," "baritone," "baritone saxophone," "bear," and "honey bear."

There is a theme: bears have phalanges. And, yes, I did have to Google that statement to verify its veracity. Veracity verily verified!

*I am, however, better at that particular activity than he is.