Is there anything worse than shortening names? Ask Sal...

Acouple of weeks ago I asked if there was anything worse than overfamiliarity, after Nick Robinson referred to an annoyed Lord Hayward as “Bob” on the Today programme. The response from Telegraph readers was a unanimous no. In fact, I received so many emails complaining of monikers given to them by strangers that it has taken me this long to read them all and write a follow-up piece.

Derek objects to being called Delboy or Del, while Sally dislikes being called Sal, especially as “in some voices, it sounds like ‘sow’ – or female pig”. Barbara is never Babs. For obvious reasons, Richard is unhappy with Dicky. When Vivian was asked by a BT call centre worker if they could call her “Viv” her response was no. My husband, a Harry by birth, is annoyed when people try to change his name entirely to Henry. Henry, incidentally, is the name on Prince Harry’s birth certificate. I once had the temerity to call Prince Henry Hazza, although he didn’t seem to mind.

But my favourite correspondence of all came from Ernest, who received a letter from a mobile phone provider referring to him as “Earnest”. He would like to report that he is most earnestly an Ernest.