Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of the NY Times, goes by
Pinch. His father was called Punch. What are the origins of these
nicknames? (I've heard that Pinch has a slightly obese son waiting in
the wings. Paunch.)

nautico  -- 

"Arthur Ochs Sulzberger is known as Punch. The nickname, Punch, has
stuck since boyhood, given to him by his father, Arthur Hays
Sulzberger, who was the Times? publisher from 1935 to 1961. It was a
counterpoint to "Judy" as an elder sister, Judith, was called at home.
(Source: "Behind the Times," New Yorker, June 10, 1996.)"

Newspaper Association of America: Fun Facts About Newspapers
http://www.naa.org/artpage.cfm?AID=1753&SID=169


AOS,Jr. is apparently called "Pinch" by some journalists and other
wags as a derisive (whether or not good-natured) reference to his
relative youth and to imply an unfavorable comparison to his similarly
named father:

"And yet it has happened. Young Arthur, as he is still persistently
called (along with the belittling ?Pinch?), has certainly taken
charge. He has won various executive-suite battles (over his father?s
retainers). He has won various family turf feuds (over ambitious
cousins). And, in the figure of Howell Raines, he installed his guy?a
guy who spoke with Sulzberger?s kind of I-don?t-care-ness?in the
newsroom."

New York Magazine: Pinch, Power, and the Paper, by Michael Wolff (6/16/93)
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/media/columns/medialife/n_8797/


"I'm happy to report that her rival at the New York Times for so many
years, Sulzberger, nicknamed "Punch", retired as publisher of the New
York Times in 1992, when he was succeeded by his son, Arthur Ochs
Sulzberger Junior, nicknamed "Pinch", so we could tell the difference
.  .  .  .

London Evening Standard: This is London, by Andrew Neil (10/30/02)(cached page)
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:6Wqg3GXi-NIJ:www.eveningstandard.co.uk/news/articles/2813592+sulzberger++%22called+OR+nicknamed+pinch+%22&hl=en


"When Arthur Sulzberger the Second took command as over-boss of the
Times he was not-so-affectionately nicknamed ?Pinch?, a name that
Arthur the Younger detests."

Weird Republic: Pushing the Gay Agenda at the New York Times
http://www.weirdrepublic.com/episode58.htm 


Additional Information:

Here's corroboration for the origin of "Punch," from an interesting
column about the Sulzbergers:

"To his family he was known as Punch because he was close in age to a
sister named Judy."

Investors Newswire: Shaking the Money Tree: The New York Times From
Punch to Young King Arthur, by Robert Metz
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=105&STORY=/www/story/130053


Although you are almost the first to suggest "Paunch" as a nickname
for a Sulzberger, the Village Voice published the following multiple
choice question in an amusing feature, "Make Up Your Own News Story":


... as well as New York Times publisher ___________ Sulzberger. 

A. Punch 
B. Pinch 
C. Paunch 

Village Voice: Make Up Your Own New Story (6/5/03)
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0324/parks.php



Search Strategy:

The following Google searches turned up the information:

sulzberger nickname punch
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&q=sulzberger+%22nickname+punch%22

sulzberger punch judy
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&q=sulzberger+%22+punch%22+judy

sulzberger pinch
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&q=sulzberger++pinch+

sulzberger called OR nicknamed pinch
://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&q=sulzberger++%22called+OR+nicknamed+pinch+%22



markj-ga

And here I thought I was THE first to come up with Paunch. Darn.

nautico --

Thanks for the tip and all the stars.

markj-ga

Nautico,

Your 'Paunch' remark reminded me of something funny. A few years ago a
friend of mine spent a week at a fancy weight-loss spa in the
Southwest. I can't remember the name of the place, but my friend
called it "Pauncho Villa."

~Pink

Pink,

Obese women are fat. Obese men have "a little paunch." It's a well
known and scientifically proven distinction.

According to some haberdashers, fat men are "big." I imagine that
places selling "Big and Tall Men's Clothing" wouldn't do as well if
they used the F-word instead of "big."

Where female apparel is concerned, the larger clothes are tactfully
called "women's sizes." As if little gals like me are somehow not real
women. Pfui.

Pink,

I always enjoyed Jane Russell's use of "full figured woman." Am also
thankful for boyfriend Howard Hughes' contributions in that area.

Hey now, it's possible to be "full figured" in the Jane Russellian
sense without being obese. When I said that I'm a "little gal," I
didn't mean that I'm undersized in all areas. ;-)

Speaking of euphemisms for body types, I find it bizarre that, in the
world of high-fashion modeling, the term "plus-size" is applied to
women who seem to me to be beautifully contoured. One of my shameful
pleasures is watching "America's Next Top Model." Started watching
because hubby likes it, but now I am hooked.

Last year a contestant who weighs 130 pounds and is 5'8" was referred
to as a "plus-size model." Yikes. If that's plus-size, then how would
one describe a figure like Camryn Manheim's?

"If that's plus-size, then how would one describe a figure like Camryn Manheim's?"

Zaftig.