According to a new UK study, terms such as 'Babe' 'Sweetcheeks', 'snookums' and 'muffin' are the most hated pet names for women.
The term 'Babe', made popular by Sonny and Cher's Sixties hit I Got You Babe has topped the list of most hated pet names for women, the Daily Mail reported.
'Sweetcheeks', 'snookums' and 'muffin' were also a definite no no, but terms such as 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' and 'lovely' were considered acceptable.
Americanised nicknames like 'baby girl' and 'baby doll' are also unpopular, along with 'pudding' and 'pumpkin'.
The research commissioned by Siteopia.Com also found 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.
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'.
'Her indoors' was also a popular name for an absent wife or girlfriend, while one in 14 men had dubbed their loved one 'The ball and chain'.
One in ten husbands and boyfriends admitted they let their partner call them a soppy nickname they would dread their friends ever finding out.
One in ten Britons revealed that they were left embarrassed when others discovered their private nickname, with 44 per cent accidentally using it when others were around.
