G as in God

I spent a few years billing insurance companies for a psychologist. Most of my working time was spent on the phone with customer service or managed care, trying to get claims paid. Inevitably, there would come a time when I had to spell a patient's name. Early on, before I became familiar with the standards of "C as in Charlie" and "N as in Nancy," my spelling practices often resulted in fits of giggles on both ends of the phone line. Or worse, my own mounting laughter was quelled by business-like acknowledgments (or a lack-thereof, depending on how you look at it).

"'G' as in ... ah ... 'God'; 'I' as in 'Insane' (always appropriate as I was dealing with the mental health department); 'D' as in... um... 'Donkey'; 'E' as in 'Egg'; 'O as in 'Octagonal'; and 'N' as in 'Nun'. Gideon."

Though my initial forays in to letter/word association were innocent, I became aware of an opportunity to apply my literary background to my current line of work. Thematic spelling might spark inspiration in the customer service rep who must be as bored with her job as I was. Possibilities seem endless, from the crude: 'H' as in 'Hairy'; 'A' as in 'Anus'; ... to the devine: "'H' as in 'Heaven'; 'A' as in 'Angels'....

My stepfather, Patrick, apparently has a similar "problem" with letter/word association. My mother came up with a simple, yet ingenious solution, which I believe can be universally applied.
"Patrick. That's
'P' as in 'Patrick',
'A' as in 'Atrick',
'T' as in 'Trick',
'R' as in 'Rick',
'I' as in 'Ick', and
'CK' as in 'Cuh'.