Nickname

A nickname is a name that we use for a person in place of his or her real name. We do this, usually, out of affection, but sometimes out of a more negative impulse. An example of an affectionate nickname would be calling Pablo Sandoval (the baseball player you see here) Kung Fu Panda. Sometimes they just call him "The Panda."
An example of a negative nickname would be calling someone a name referring to being fat, or having some kind of physical or mental problem, or referring to a mistake that the person made in the past. Actually, this negative usage is reflective in the word nickname: to nick someone is to hurt them a little.
Do you like to give people nicknames, affectionate or otherwise? Do you have a nickname yourself?