Yesterday's newspaper reported that Vorhees High softball defeated Warren Hills High when Kaylee Teets scored the winning run on a hit by Cailey Ihling.
When their coach yells "Kaylee", do both girls respond? To avoid confusion, does Coach yell "Kaylee with a K" or "Cailey with a C"? Are there Kayleighs or Caleighs on the Vorhees squad? Must Coach expand to "Caleigh with a C and an eigh"?
Thirty years ago, every other high school girl was named Deborah with the simple variations of Debra, Deb, Debby, or Debbi. Twenty years ago, high school halls were packed with Jennifers AKA Jen, Jenny, or Jenni. Ten years ago, we had Emily truncated to the simple Em. A time-travelling high school teacher could easily determine which decade she had landed in by shouting "Deb", "Jen", or "Em" and seeing how many girls responded.
The same technique works for boys. Popular names have progressed from Mark to Eric to Matt. Sadly, we don't see multiple spellings on the male side. Still, our intrepid time traveller can determine the decade in which he lands regardless of gender.
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