weirdly pronounced british family or place names

trivet commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

I like it!

February 23, 2007

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

A youthful schoolmistress named beauchamp

Said: These awful boys, how shall I teauchamp?

For they will not behave

Although I look grave

And with tears in my eyes I beseauchamp.

February 23, 2007

reesetee commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Great!

February 23, 2007

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

There was a young man named Colquhoun

Who kept as a pet a babuhoun

His mother said 'Cholmondeley,

I don't think it's quite colmondeley

To feed your babuhoun with a spuhoun'.

As I said, I have a weakness for these limericks.

February 23, 2007

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

A young man of Gloucester named Foucester,

Had a wife who ran off with a coucester.

He traced her to Leicester,

And tried to arreicester,

But in spite of these efforts he loucester.

March 11, 2007

yarb commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

There was a young fellow of Caius

with hair that fell down to his knaius:

his pals, for a lark,

cut it off in the dark,

and thought it a marvellous whaius.

November 9, 2007

plethora commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Strachan.

August 2, 2008

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

plethora: How is "Strachan" pronounced?

August 2, 2008

plethora commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Like "strawn", usually. There are a bunch of variations on the spelling, I'm pretty sure, but I can never remember how to spell them...

August 2, 2008

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

'Strachen' and 'Straughan' seem to be the most common variations. But it appears to be Scottish, rather than English.

August 2, 2008

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

An old couple living in Gloucester

Had a beautiful girl, but they loucester;

She fell from a yacht,

And never the spacht

Could be found where the cold waves had toucester.

An old lady living in Worcester

Had a gift of a handsome young rorcester;

But the way that it crough,

As 'twould never get through,

Was more than the lady was uorcester.

At the bar in the old inn at Leicester

Was a beautiful bar-maid named Heicester;

She gave to each guest

Only what was the buest,

And they all, with one accord, bleicester.

January 1, 2009

chained_bear commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

This is fascinating. I can read most of these and make sense of them, except for the one in the list description!

Also, could someone, for the love of God, please tell me how the frig to pronounce "Ahoghill," which is not technically an English place name (it's in Northern Ireland)??

January 1, 2009

gangerh commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Barnoldswick, sionnach? Pronounced 'Barlick'.

January 1, 2009

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Thanks, gangerh!

c_b: No clue, alas.

January 1, 2009

gangerh commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

And also Meopham in Kent. Pronounced 'Meppum'.

January 2, 2009

sarra commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Heh, I can do all of these limericks. And "Meppum" is even completely first-principles logical to me. This one though:

An old lady living in Worcester

Had a gift of a handsome young rorcester;

Are they your invention? This one doesn't work in the slightest — doesn't, hasn't ever, and never will, to my knowledge! Shall I find/upload a pronunciation of Worcester for you?

January 2, 2009

chained_bear commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

I think it works, if you pronounce "Worcester" rather like "Wooster." It isn't an exact rhyme (you don't say "wooooooster," more like "wuhster"), but it works.

January 2, 2009

sarra commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

But why would you? ;)

Oh, by the way, I've just remembered Brewood. Rhymes with what beer has had done to it. Or what's hatched from a mother hen's eggs.

January 2, 2009

chained_bear commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Well, cuz it's fun to make fun of stupid pronunciations, and if you can get a rooster joke in there, why... so much the better! :)

January 2, 2009

sarra commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Leominster, Cirencester (not any longer, I don't think)

Also the more mundane Bicester and Alcester.

January 2, 2009

sarra commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

*sticks tongue out at c_b*

Marylebone, and…

A dashing young fellow named Cockburn

Was attempting to travel to Holborn.

He asked with a cough

If he please could get ough

When he found himself en route to Oban…

January 2, 2009

chained_bear commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

*gently places mini-cupcake on sarra's outstuck tongue*

I love this page. It reminds me of that thing on Sioux. (*checks to see if that thing is on Sioux*)

January 2, 2009

gangerh commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

And Rocester, pronounced 'roaster', HQ of the JCB.

And there's Keighley, pronounced 'Keethlee'.

January 2, 2009

gangerh commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

And Mousehole, in Cornwall, pronounced 'mouzell'.

January 2, 2009

sionnach commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

I find it intriguing that the current google ad on this page is:

Learn Irish like a Spy

World's leading Irish method. Same course used by FBI & CIA.

January 5, 2009

madmouth commented on the list weirdly-pronounced-british-family-or-place-names

Screawn. The popular mispronunciation is screw-on and the real thing shree-in. Irish origin.

May 2, 2009