I’m Gabe Hartwig, the Page One designer Steve mentions above.

It’s true — “The Lou” is not a formal name for St. Louis, nor is it appropriate for most headlines. But certain areas of the newspaper call for a different writing tone. The Page One skytease is one of those places.

When I’m writing a promotional tease to a section like Get Out, which often pertains to entertainment, parties, celebrations and the like, I tend to write in the same voice I’d use if I were telling a friend to read the story. It’s simply a more conversational tone and fits the topic more appropriately. The readers we’re targeting with such teases can connect more immediately if we’re speaking their language.

When I see or hear “The Lou,” the last thing I think of is a toilet. (It’s spelled differently, for one.) I’m young and (somewhat) hip, and people my age don’t think twice about calling St. Louis by that nickname.

We get to vote? Hooray! I have hated this nickname ever since the first time I read it in the Post-Dispatch. It means the bathroom. Why would we want to nickname ourselves “the bathroom”!

I personally like “The STL” to ” The Lou” . However people need to get a life if the only reason for cancelling a their paper is a nickname regularlly used by the younger obviously hipper crowd.

I think that the nickname ” The Lou ” is cool and easy to say. Lighten up a little and let the energetic fun loving minds have an endearing name for their work place and playground.

I’m all for calling St. Louis “The Lou” or “STL” or whatever you want. Also, no problem with bare bellies in the paper — skinny, fat or pregnant, male or female.

But I’m not sure why it’s important to note that “two women readers” called (especially when it’s repeated later that the callers were female) — or why they’re “women readers,” not “female readers.” I wouldn’t say two “man readers” called.

I too quit reading Peterson long ago when she started using the “Lou” word. It’s just tacky. Spend your time off finding a better word if you must. Though I’m just fine with St. Louis. Not everything needs a nickname.

monday is a normal work day for most americans,cinco de mayo is not a recognized holiday, besides st.louisans don’t need an excuse to party, we are a pretty happy bunch. all this businees calling st.louis “THE LOU”has to go,it’s totally inappropriate.. my guess is the “CAN ” won’t fly either. i travel some and it’s unbeliveable how many can’t tell you 1) we are in missouri 2) even in the midwest. however they know about the arch and if their a baseball fan were ok.lets try some eduational or smarter slang discription of our fair city. if the powers that be really want to something productive lets start with dewitt pitt becoming maybe dewitt park !!!

Deb Peterson says she rarely uses Lou in her column anymore. “It just got played out,” she said. Fans no doubt have noted that “The STL” is now her phrase of favor.

I grew up (to about 18 years old) in the St. Louis area and about 25 years ago moved away. I have since returned a couple of years ago to find people using “The Lou” as a nickname for St. Louis. I thought it made no sense then and have yet to actually understand it. Why give it that nickname? “St. Louis” seems about as short as saying “The Lou”. In fact, counting the letters, there is only one more letter in “St. Louis” than “The Lou”, so saving space does not seem to be the reasoning. I agree that not everything needs shortened nor a nickname. I will continue to call it “St. Louis” or “home”.

I would just like to point out that there are pleny of terms related to the bathroom with homonymic counterparts. For example, the game “Craps” shouldn’t be offensive, just because the word “craps” (even spelled the same, unlike “Lou” and “loo”) can have potentially offensive meanings.

It must have been in elementary school when we were introduced to the concept of homonyms (noun: each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins). And unless there is some evidence to suggest that the term “the Lou” originated BECAUSE it sounded like the British term for the toilet, and not just as an abbreviation of “Louis,” I see no logical reason for its offense. Unless you really just don’t grasp the concept, in which case you are encouraging other people to think of you as being very ignorant.