So what’s in a name? You’ll have to ask Mr Phani Tikkala.

Posts on this blog seem to have taken a saucy turn of late. So why stop now?

There was much hilarity in the office when an email dropped with this belter, below:

Thanks to Gordon Tait at the Scottish Sun for that one.

His email couldn’t have been better timed. Not 24 hours earlier we’d been chewing over some of the marvellous monikers we’ve come across among the PR fraternity – though nothing up there with Mr Tikkala, admittedly.

A recent one to catch my eye was G. Stepo – not the jackbooted secret police, but Gail Stepo, a popular communications officer with Fife Council.  I can only presume that was an accident of marriage and not a parenting blunder.

Then there’s Gussy Alamein at the Church of Scotland. A few of us in the office cooked up a picture of the exotically and alluringly named Ms Alamein as a long-lashed seductress rescued by the Kirk. Some kind of latter day Salome who found redemption through worship. Naw. I later found out Gussy is actually a deeply-voiced bloke with a positively military bearing.

Juvenile colleagues (all r ght, me) snigger and elbow each other whenever the name Charity Dyke comes up. Sounds like some kind of burlesque act with sapphic specialities. In reality the perfectly nice (and I’m sure squeaky clean) press officer with Lothian and Borders fire brigade.

A personal favourite has always been Balthasar Fabricius – affectionately known as Balth – who was at Ladbrokes press office last time I paid attention. Nothing suggestive about his name – but it would make an outstanding triple word score in Scrabble. Our own fabulously named Big Galoot actually met Balth on a golf outing and said he was a top bloke.

Likewise, Galootski also came into contact with Warren Lush – nothing to do with battling Alkies, but another Ladbrokes press officer who has more recently turned up at partybets.com and was trotted out as ITV’s “betting expert” at the recent Grand Slam of Darts. Top viewing according to the Galoot.

Finally for today recognition (sympathy?) is due to the Scotsman’s Mhairi Ince (the advertising contact for the Herald & Post series). Nothing funny in that you might think? Except her email address – mince@scotsman.com. I’m sure she’s fed up of the jokes.

NOTE – with apologies to everyone named here for the entirely juvenile nature of the content. No offence intended. However, if you know any others, I’d be delighted to hear them!