Fun facts about the English language

Damian in Alba   Wed Aug 24, 2005 2:37 pm GMT
A variation of fun facts in the English Language are the many place names in the UK with funny names.

On the border with Essex and Hertfordshire in England is a village called Ugley.

Practically every village or small town in the UK (Eng Scot Wales) has a branch of an organisation called the Women's Institute. It's where the local ladies meet socially, invite speakers to talk about any subject under the sun, have competitions, make jam, make cakes, have weekly sales of all produce - locally grown fruit, vegetables, home made cakes and all sorts of goodies or whatever..whatever...

Each village Institute is called the (*name of village*) Women's Institute.

The film Calendar Girls was based on a real life WI branch in Yorkshire where they decided to raise money for a cancer charity after the husband of one of the ladies died from cancer. They made a calendar in which each month showed a photograph of a lady member posing in the nude with strategically placed items like buns with a cherry on the top in just the right position to spare the lady's modesty.

It was a great success and that WI branch raised ££££££££££kkkk for the charity even when they were invited to Hollywood, USA.

The village of Ugley has a branch of the Women's Institute.

It's the Ugley Women's Institute and is one of the most well known in the country for some reason.

Members of the Ugley Women's Institute were invited to appear on GMTV one day and they were all very attractive ladies indeed. So what's in a name...

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=72192003

http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/uttlesford/tourism/parishes/ClubsNSocietiesDetails.cfm?Club_ID=253

The UK as plenty of weird and funny place names (I know of several - Pratts Bottom and Six Mile Bottom).

A village called Uckington where they keep having to replace the welcome signs because of prats painting in an F.

http://www.ttforum.co.uk/ttforumbbs/viewtopic.php?t=29758&start=0
Uriel   Wed Aug 24, 2005 7:00 pm GMT
In my state (until recently) we had the infamous Route 666 -- I think they finally changed it in part because the damn signs kept getting stolen.
Candy   Wed Aug 24, 2005 7:46 pm GMT
the many place names in the UK with funny names. >>

'Great Snoring' is my personal favourite!!
Neeraj Bisht   Thu Aug 25, 2005 3:58 am GMT
I Want Speak English
vincent   Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:16 pm GMT
In France there's a famous village in the deep South West whose name is Moncuq, pronounced [mõky], as in the french words "mon cul" which means "my ass".
I let you imagine what sort of TV programmes they made thanks to this bad "jeu de mots".
I'm almost certain that nowadays there are far more english people who live there than french. A lot of Britons come to France and settle in the old villages where nobody wants to live (the old people died out and the youth escaped to the town).
Adam   Fri Aug 26, 2005 6:53 pm GMT
In my town of Bolton, Lancashire (which is the biggest town in Britain) there is an area called Nob End.
Uriel   Fri Aug 26, 2005 6:54 pm GMT
Are you the mayor?
Adam   Fri Aug 26, 2005 6:54 pm GMT
And in Cornwall, there's a little place called Brown Willy.


That's true!
Adam   Fri Aug 26, 2005 6:57 pm GMT
Apes Hall (Norfolk)
Bishops Itchington (unk)
Boysack (Tayside, Scot.)
Brokenborough (Avon)
Burnt Houses (Co. Durham)
California (Norfolk)
Cannard's Grave (Somerset)
Carlingcott (Avon)
Caynham (Shrops.)
Clappers (Lothian, Scotland)
Climpy (Strathclyde, Scotland)
Crackport (County unknown) See picture below!
Devizes (Wilts.)
Diss (Norfolk)
Dollarbeg (Fife, Scotland)
Dorking, Surrey
Duck End (Essex)
Egypt (Hamps.)
Felldownhead (Devon)
Folly Gate (Devon)
Foulden (Lothian, Scotland)
Frisby On The Wreake (Leics.)
Giggleswick, North Yorkshire
Godolphin Cross (Somerset)
Goosey (Oxfords.)
Great Snoring (Norfolk)
Gurney Slade (Avon)
Ham and Sandwich (Kent)
Herodsfoot (Cornwall)
Herringfleet (Norfolk)
Hetton-le-Hole (Co. Durham)
High Ham (Somerset)
Hopton Wafers (Shrops.)
Jump, So. Yorks
Killiecrankie (Tayside, Scot.)
Kilmahog (Central Scotland)
Kilmany (Fife, Scot.)
Knockdown (Avon)
Knockin (Shrops.)
Leatherhead (Exeter)
Little Horwood (Bucks.)
Little Snoring (Norfolk)
Little Sodbury (Avon)
Little Town (Cumbria)
Little Wratting (Cambs.)
LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH, Anglesy, Wales
Lower Down (Shrops.)
Mockbeggar (Kent)
Mousehole (Cornwall)
Much Haddam (Cambs.)
Nasty (Herts.)
Nether Poppleton (North Yorkshire)
New Invention (Wales)
North Piddle (Worcs.)
Peasedown St. John (Wilts.)
Pidley (Cambs.)
Puddledock (Norfolk)
Shop (Cornwall)
Simonsbath (Somerset)
Slip End (Beds.)
Snig's End (Gloucs.)
Sockburn (Co. Durham)
Tiltups End (Avon)
Titson (Cornwall)
Tittensor (Staffs.)
Turner's Puddle (Dorset)
Twelveheads (Cornwall)
Warboys (Cambs.)
Washaway (Cornwall)
Watchet (Somerset)
Waterhouses (Staffs.)
Willey (shrops.)
Windy Yet (Strathclyde, Scotland)
Wormegay (Norfolk)
Wormwood Scrubs (London)
Yelling (Cambs.)




Others in Britain (County unknown):
Climping
Crackaig
Crackpot - see picture below!
Eric Gotobed
Fattahead
Goonbelle
Middle Wallop
Wormelow Tump
Yonder Bognie
Adam   Fri Aug 26, 2005 7:00 pm GMT
"Ham and Sandwich (Kent) "

That has to be the best.
Paul Collins   Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:43 pm GMT
Dreamt ends with "mt" not "mpt". So unkempt is a rhyming word, but the fun fact was about words ending in mt.
Pete   Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:20 pm GMT
<<Eric Gotobed>>

hahaah What about that??
mike sherrickias   Wed Feb 15, 2006 5:00 pm GMT
yes there is it is bronge
Sree   Tue May 02, 2006 7:13 am GMT
" I am " is the shortest complete sentence in English language.
Benjamin   Tue May 02, 2006 12:51 pm GMT
There's a village in Devon called Woolsfadisworthy, pronounced 'Woolsery'.

Then there are various other names, like how 'Featherstonehaugh' is pronounced 'Fanshaw', and how 'Cholmondesley' is pronounced 'Chumley'.