Down the centuries many unlikely words have been used as terms of affection

When Mike Tindall interviewed his wife Zara for his new Mike Drop YouTube series last month, he called her ‘my love’ – a moment made all the more tender for Tindall fans (of which there are many) by her repeating it back to him. 

Harry and Meghan have also been known to call each other ‘my love’ in public – this, of course, when they aren’t referring to themselves as H&M. 

It could be argued, however, that the Tindalls and the Sussexes are playing it rather safe with their pet names. This mode of address has a rich (if sometimes baffling) history; one that Mike and Harry might feel inspired to draw upon next time they whisper a sweet nothing. Or, indeed, pronounce it before an audience of millions. 

Yes, you can stick with a trusty ‘darling’ (a medieval phrase that came from ‘dear-ling’, meaning ‘dear one’) but the past has so many weird and wonderful terms of endearment that it would be a shame not to test drive a few…

ANIMAL MAGNETISM

The affectionate term ‘sparling’ (now more commonly called a ‘smelt’) is a fish-y phrase that first appeared sometime in the 1500s. ‘Prawn’ put in an appearance in the late 1800s, with ‘whiting’ and ‘codfish’ also making their way from the fishmonger’s slab on to the lips of lovers. 

Similarly under-represented in modern pillow talk is the ‘flittermouse’ (AKA the bat), which is a pity as it was all the rage in the 1600s – as was ‘turtle’ to mean ‘lover’. To be completely fair to the loved-up of yore, they didn’t mean turtle as in ‘with a shell’ but as in ‘dove’, which makes it slightly less weird.

Representing the insect population is the ‘ladybird’, which became a term of endearment when Shakespeare put it into the mouth of Juliet’s nurse. 

Back to the mammalian kingdom. In medieval times it was quite the thing to refer to your love as ‘pigsney’ (pronounced ‘pig’s knee’), which is derived from ‘pig’s eye’. No, we’ve no idea either. 

In Edinburgh right now you might still refer to the object of your affection as ‘hen’ but travel 300 miles south to Nottingham and they’ll have morphed into a ‘duck’.

THE FOODSTUFFS OF LOVE 

You’ll find any amount of ‘honey’, ‘sugar’, ‘sweetie’, ‘cupcake’, ‘cookie’ and even ‘cinnamon’ (which turns up in Chaucer) on the list of popular terms of endearment – but how about some of the less obvious candidates? 

‘Lamb chop’ will possibly not survive the march towards veganism, and who knew ‘tart’ was once a term of affection? It refers to an uncovered fruit pie and so, originally, had good-enough-to-eat connotations. 

‘Cabbage’ also deserves a special mention here. Although it first cropped up as an affectionate term in the 1800s, it really sprang to fame with the revelation that it was Prince Philip’s go-to nickname for Queen Elizabeth. Alongside ‘cabbage’, HM was also called ‘sausage’ by her husband, but it was her vegetable moniker that was most popular. The Queen’s biographer Robert Lacey weighed in on the matter in suitably restrained terms, confirming that it was ‘sometimes’ how Philip referred to his wife. 

LOST IN TRANSLATION

We’ve got the French to thank for the aforementioned ‘cabbage’, which arose from a French term of endearment – mon petit chou (my little cabbage). Why did the French feel moved to compare each other to members of the brassica family? We may never know. 

Meanwhile, ‘bawcock’ was a big hitter in the 1600s but as a form of bloke-to-bloke endearment. Derived from the French beau coq (‘fine cock’), it appears in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night when Sir Toby Belch is teasing Malvolio. Definitely one to sling about on a big night at the local alehouse.

• We asked YOU readers for their terms of endearment and the results are in. There were the classics: ‘honey’, ‘baby’, ‘bubs’ and ‘babes’ (that last one will be the millennials voting). Seems as though some of you don’t mind pointing out a physical imperfection with ‘chubby hubby’ and ‘fatty’ making the list. ‘Puff’, ‘brunty’ and ‘boodles’? We’re pleased for you. ‘Booga’ and ‘Pooh’: if you’re OK with it, then so are we.