How did Richard Braine become Dick Braine?

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Richard Braine was appointed leader of Ukip, leading to jokes about the party being led by a ‘Dick Braine’. How did the name Richard come to be shortened?

— There was a common practice in medieval England for rhyming slang, with the first letters of many common names being interchanged, hence Robert became ‘Bob’ and Edward ‘Ted’. It is believed the practice may have come about as a result of Anglo-Saxons finding it hard to pronounce Norman names and vice versa.

— Dick was established by Shakespeare’s time — the bard referred to ‘every Tom, Dick or Francis’ in Henry IV, Part 1.

— For the first few centuries there was nothing rude about ‘Dick’. It’s recorded as slang for the male organ from the 1890s.

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— Besides Dick Braine there have been a couple of famous Richard or Dick Heads:  a 17th-century English novelist and early 20th-century Australian rules footballer.