It has become one of the most common terms of endearment used by couples, but 'babe' has been voted the most hated pet name for women. The term, made popular by Sonny and Cher's Sixties hit I Got You Babe, come out on TOP in a new study.
“Babe”一次虽然是情侣间最常用于表示亲昵的词，但近期一项调查显示，女人最讨厌“babe”这个昵称。“babe”一词曾由于Sonny和 Cher's Sixties的名曲《I Got You Babe》而为人熟悉，但在最新的一项调查中被投票为女人最讨厌的昵称。
‘Sweetcheeks’, ‘snookums’ and ‘muffin’ were also a definite no no, but terms such as ‘gorgeous’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘lovely’ were considered acceptable.
“Sweetcheeks”“snookums”“muffin”等昵称都是女人雷区，但“迷人的”“漂亮的”“可爱的”则可以同意。
Americanised nicknames like ‘baby girl’ and ‘baby doll’ are also unpopular, along with ‘pudding’ and ‘pumpkin’. The research also revealed that only one in five Britons calls their partner by their full name the majority of the time, with the same number admitting to using a private nickname when no-one else is around.
美式的昵称如“baby girl”“baby doll”，还有“pudding”“pumpkin”也不受女人欢迎。该调查同时披露，只有五分之一的英国人会在大部分时间叫另一半的全称，同样还有五分之一的人承认会在没其他人在场时叫另一半的私密昵称。
Many of the men who took part in the study also confessed to referring to their partner with terms they would only use while she was out of earshot. ‘The Mrs’ or ‘the wife’ were still used by some men, while one in six quietly referred to their partner as ‘the boss’.
参与调查的不少男性也承认另一半不在身边时会以特别称谓来指代另一半，譬如一些人常见的“The Mrs”“The wife”，而且还有六分之一的男性悄悄承认会喊他们的另一半“the boss”。
‘Her indoors’ was also a popular name for an absent wife or girlfriend, while one in 14 brave men had dubbed their loved one ‘The ball and chain’. 'Pet names between partners are usually used as a way to show a little regular affection but some are clearly better than others,’ says a spokesman for Siteopia.com, who commissioned the study. ‘Whether using the more common terms like “babe” or “darling” or some of the more modern terms, the research shows the ones we choose for our partner can have very differing impacts.
“Her indoors”也是英国男性在老婆或女友不在时常见的称呼，还有1/14的勇敢男性给我们的爱侣授与了“The ball and chain”的称号。“情侣间的昵称是用来表达平时感情的方法，但有的昵称明显比其他的好。”安排此次调查的Siteopia.com网站的一位发言人说道，“研究表明，无论是用诸如‘babe’‘darling’还是其他更流行的称谓，大家为大家的另一半所选择的昵称会有完全不同的成效。”
'There’s a lot of power in a name and each one throws up different connotations so it’s important to know which ones will flatter a partner and which are definitely not going to have the right effect.’
昵称包括了不少言外之意，每一个昵称都有不一样的暗示，所以弄了解什么昵称会使另一半高兴，而什么可能起反用途非常重要。
One in ten husbands and boyfriends admitted they let their partner call them a soppy nickname they would dread their friends ever finding out. Meanwhile one in ten Britons surveyed revealed that they were left embarrassed when others discovered their private nickname, with 44 per cent accidentally using it when others were around.
十分之一的男性承认会让他们的另一半给自己取一个情意绵绵以至于不敢让朋友了解的昵称。同时，十分之一的受访英国男性透露，曾有被别人了解这类私密昵称而让自己处于尴尬境地的历程，44%都是碰巧在别的人在场的状况下用如此的昵称。
‘Of course personal nicknames, when born out of affection, are a nice thing for partners to have between one another,’ added the spokesman. ‘Although as we’ve seen they aren’t always names we want shared publicly. ‘There’s a lot to be read from a name, and sometimes using too strongly cliched or overly-soppy pet names for someone we like will just be seen as insincere.’
“当然，那些本身充满爱意的个人昵称对于情侣是一件好事，虽然这类昵称并非大家想在大众面前推荐的。”该发言人补充道，“一个名字能解析出不少含义，有时用太刻板或太肉麻的昵称反而会看上去不够真诚。”
