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Trivia : Cities/Towns/Villages with unfortunate nicknames

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duncanp

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Drifting off-topic; but a forum (now defunct) on which I used to participate -- wide-ranging, but on the basic topic of good etiquette -- was based in the USA: prominently observable thereon, was the extreme puritanism -- indeed prissiness -- which is often to the fore in that country, particularly where anything sexual is concerned. The forum enforced the use of numerous -- sometimes absurd -- euphemisms for assorted words / expressions: "dick" (whether with a small "d", or as a proper name) was taboo: it had to be replaced with "wingadingdingy" (the actor thus appeared as "Wingadingdingy Van Dyke"). The board's "code" for any kind of sexual activity, was "playing Scrabble"; when the subject of the actual board game came up, things could get quite weird.

The US does seem to have some double standards with regard to sexual matters.

They are very prudish on mentioning naughty words such as "dick", but then there are place names such as

  • Intercourse, Pennsylvania
  • Humptulips, Washington
  • Bald Knob, Arkansas
 

gg1

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Some people round here refer to people from Burnley as Dingles, after the rough family in Emmerdale I presume
Also a term used in certain parts of the Black Country to describe the good people of Wolverhampton ;)
 

hst43102

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The US does seem to have some double standards with regard to sexual matters.

They are very prudish on mentioning naughty words such as "dick", but then there are place names such as

  • Intercourse, Pennsylvania
I've been there. Even more ironic is the fact that it is an Amish town!
 

Calthrop

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The US does seem to have some double standards with regard to sexual matters.

They are very prudish on mentioning naughty words such as "dick", but then there are place names such as

  • Intercourse, Pennsylvania
  • Humptulips, Washington
  • Bald Knob, Arkansas

To say nothing of the Grand Teton(s) ["big breast{s}"] mountain and National Park, in Wyoming.

"Humptulips", I'd guess to be from a Native American language, in which it no doubt means something completely innocuous -- so, no problem ! Intercourse -- see below.

I've been there. Even more ironic is the fact that it is an Amish town!

I've read that this place originally got its name, from its being located between two racecourses. And the Amish are famously so virtuous and pure, that it must be that they don't "do" or understand double-entendres -- particularly in English -- so once again, "nothing to see here, folks" :smile:.

One feels tempted to start a fresh thread on place-names worldwide, which in some way look and / or sound rude (i.e. unfortunate actual names, rather than nicknames); or maybe there has already been such a thread.
 
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61653 HTAFC

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A much more common nickname is 'Snorbens' which the Royal Mail will acknowledge. It looks like a spelling of common mispronounciation of the city's name.
Quite a few "Saint X" towns have similar nicknames. Snozzle (St. Austell) is quite fun to say!

I've been there. Even more ironic is the fact that it is an Amish town!
Despite the prudishness, I presume the Amish still occasionally partake in such activity... if the town were called "Commute" or "Machinery" it would be even more ironic. ;)
 

bearhugger

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Seaton Carew next to Hartlepool is called Seaton Canoe after a local called John Darwin faked his own death (in cahoots with his wife) by apparently being involved in a canoeing accident just out to sea, to claim insurance money.
And slightly further up the coast is Blackhall Colliery which I call Blackhall Kennels (I've never seen a good looking woman there).
 

duncanp

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One feels tempted to start a fresh thread on place-names worldwide, which in some way look and / or sound rude (i.e. unfortunate actual names, rather than nicknames); or maybe there has already been such a thread.

How about the town of Vank in Germany?

Well at least that is how the pronounce it.

If I spelt it correctly as it is in German, my post would get deleted. <D

The Austrian town of F*****g had to change its name to Fugging because of frequent thefts of the road signage and English speaking tourists photographing themselves next to the sign.
 

Calthrop

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How about the town of Vank in Germany?

Well at least that is how the pronounce it.

If I spelt it correctly as it is in German, my post would get deleted. <D

Oh, Lord -- now you've started something. Extensions of the W-word (interesting to see what will pass the filter, or fail to) -- Bryan Morgan in The End of the Line, tells near the end of his chapter on Germany, of a journey on a steam-hauled mixed train on a private line in the far north of the country, which he boarded at a halt called (he just names it, and moves on) Wankendorf Nord. Morgan was a devout Catholic, but by no means a humourless prude: I have to wonder, did he name this rail location "with malice aforethought" -- or did he think, "dash it, to the pure all things are pure" -- or did he in fact not know the colloquial expression -- or had said expression not yet been thought of in 1955?

And in India there is Wankaner, in Gujarat State: location of some of Indian Railways' very last regular steam workings, circa 2000 AD.

And the coal-mining town in Zimbabwe, now called Hwange; which before change of regime in, and renaming of, that country, was unashamedly and officially known by its Anglicised name of Wankie. (One wonders whether some of the more prudish of the place's white inhabitants -- while on the whole regretting events in their country post-1980 -- are glad about the name-change of their town, having taken place.)

(And there's that much-loved but mythical city in China, which would for sure set off the censoring-and-deleting.)

The Austrian town of F*****g had to change its name to Fugging because of frequent thefts of the road signage and English speaking tourists photographing themselves next to the sign.

If I'd been the Buergermeister, I'd have said, "No, damn it -- we're F*****g, which is completely inoffensive in German: we will not be goaded into performing foolish antics by English-speakers with a mental age of eight or nine; we'll replace the signage as often as necessary, and reluctantly put up with the selfie-taking idiots."
 

DunsBus

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What about the hill in Cumbria that goes by the name of Great Cockup and which featured in an edition of the ITV series "It'll Be Alright on the Night" back in 1996.
 

SJL2020

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What about the hill in Cumbria that goes by the name of Great Cockup and which featured in an edition of the ITV series "It'll Be Alright on the Night" back in 1996.
My topographical favourite is the small valley just west of Lulworth Cove named on OS maps as Scratchy Bottom
 

AM9

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Oh, Lord -- now you've started something. Extensions of the W-word (interesting to see what will pass the filter, or fail to) -- Bryan Morgan in The End of the Line, tells near the end of his chapter on Germany, of a journey on a steam-hauled mixed train on a private line in the far north of the country, which he boarded at a halt called (he just names it, and moves on) Wankendorf Nord. Morgan was a devout Catholic, but by no means a humourless prude: I have to wonder, did he name this rail location "with malice aforethought" -- or did he think, "dash it, to the pure all things are pure" -- or did he in fact not know the colloquial expression -- or had said expression not yet been thought of in 1955?

And in India there is Wankaner, in Gujarat State: location of some of Indian Railways' very last regular steam workings, circa 2000 AD.

And the coal-mining town in Zimbabwe, now called Hwange; which before change of regime in, and renaming of, that country, was unashamedly and officially known by its Anglicised name of Wankie. (One wonders whether some of the more prudish of the place's white inhabitants -- while on the whole regretting events in their country post-1980 -- are glad about the name-change of their town, having taken place.)

(And there's that much-loved but mythical city in China, which would for sure set off the censoring-and-deleting.)



If I'd been the Buergermeister, I'd have said, "No, damn it -- we're F*****g, which is completely inoffensive in German: we will not be goaded into performing foolish antics by English-speakers with a mental age of eight or nine; we'll replace the signage as often as necessary, and reluctantly put up with the selfie-taking idiots."
When in Canada two years ago, staying in Banff, we went on a service bus to Lake Minnewanka.
 

Tracked

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Chesterfield - Ches-Vegas (as once announced on an EMT service about 4 years ago)
Derby - Durrr-by (as announced on an XC service a couple of years ago)
Barnsley - Taarn (as announced by the same guy on an XC service)
 

D6130

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Skipton folk often refer to the nearby town of Keighley as "Keefffley" - with three 'f's - when being derogatory about it's inhabitants....implying that they are incapable of pronouncing the name of their own town.

Very unfortunately, a lot of Yorkshire folk of a certain political opinion - with which, I hasten to add, I do not agree - refer to the fine city of Bradford as 'Karachi' or 'Islamabad'.
 

Loppylugs

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Used to be Piddletown in Dorset on the river Piddle. However too much p------g seems to have created a problem and it is now called Puddletown !
 

D6130

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Used to be Piddletown in Dorset on the river Piddle. However too much p------g seems to have created a problem and it is now called Puddletown !
Presumably the inhabitants of Wyre Piddle in Worcestershire are less self-concious about the name of their village, even though they have an excellent microbrewery, consuming too much of the products of which could result in a lot of piddling. Coming back to the Dorset Piddle, I notice that the village of Piddletrenthide still proudly proclaims its original name, although the reputation of the Tolpiddle Martyrs might have been slightly different had their ancestors not changed the name of their village. All this nonsense would have given Bill Bryson a field day!
 

DunsBus

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The village of Stow, near Galashiels, has been wrongly pronounced as Stoe by those not familiar with the area, including the automated announcements on the Borders Railway when it first opened. (You'll probably have gathered that it's actually pronounced to rhyme with cow.)
 

Busaholic

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Despite the prudishness, I presume the Amish still occasionally partake in such activity... if the town were called "Commute" or "Machinery" it would be even more ironic. ;)
Given they tend to have largish families that must be a given. ;)
 

43096

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Oh, Lord -- now you've started something. Extensions of the W-word (interesting to see what will pass the filter, or fail to) -- Bryan Morgan in The End of the Line, tells near the end of his chapter on Germany, of a journey on a steam-hauled mixed train on a private line in the far north of the country, which he boarded at a halt called (he just names it, and moves on) Wankendorf Nord. Morgan was a devout Catholic, but by no means a humourless prude: I have to wonder, did he name this rail location "with malice aforethought" -- or did he think, "dash it, to the pure all things are pure" -- or did he in fact not know the colloquial expression -- or had said expression not yet been thought of in 1955?

And in India there is Wankaner, in Gujarat State: location of some of Indian Railways' very last regular steam workings, circa 2000 AD.

And the coal-mining town in Zimbabwe, now called Hwange; which before change of regime in, and renaming of, that country, was unashamedly and officially known by its Anglicised name of Wankie. (One wonders whether some of the more prudish of the place's white inhabitants -- while on the whole regretting events in their country post-1980 -- are glad about the name-change of their town, having taken place.)

(And there's that much-loved but mythical city in China, which would for sure set off the censoring-and-deleting.)



If I'd been the Buergermeister, I'd have said, "No, damn it -- we're F*****g, which is completely inoffensive in German: we will not be goaded into performing foolish antics by English-speakers with a mental age of eight or nine; we'll replace the signage as often as necessary, and reluctantly put up with the selfie-taking idiots."
There’s an area of Bern in Switzerland called Wankdorf.
 

Typhoon

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And the Karawanken Alps between Austria and Slovenia -- or is that getting towards "scraping the barrel"?
Especially as they are not nicknames, they are real names!

Years ago, when I lived in Coventry I heard Wood End referred to as 'Dead End'.
 

DunsBus

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Not forgetting the Norwegian town called Rude, which once caused a satellite TV continuity announcer to corpse on air.
 

hst43102

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I live not far from the village of Bell End.
The main street in the village of Wollaston, Northants is called Bell End. Seeing as most of the secondary school pupils in that area of the county pass through it daily, I'm surprised it's not more known!
 
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