50 "weird" U.S. place names

[Jonathan Lighter]

Like yes. That's what my students thought till I fascistically laid my
education trip on them.

JL


On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 1:19 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: 50 "weird" U.S. place names
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Jan 19, 2014, at 1:14 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> >> I don't see these names as "weird" but rather merely unusual.
> >
> > But that's what "weird" has meant in the _vox populi_ for longer than I
> can
> > remember. Cf. the current journalistic denaturing of "eerie."
> >
> > Many will remember "Weird Harold."  Long before that people would say
> > "That's weird" when all they meant was "Hmmm. That's funny [peculiar]."
> >
> > From the vault:
> >
> > 1915 _Scribner's_ (Jan.) 118: "She used to be a newspaper cartoonist."
> > "That's weird enough, for a beginning. How'd she ever strike that work?"
> >
> > JL
>
> So "Get a load of those weird sisters" doesn't necessarily refer to
> witches, just quirky women into veganism and ice sculpture.
>
> LH
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 12:06 PM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu
> >wrote:
> >
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> >> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: 50 "weird" U.S. place names
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> And don't forget Toad Suck, Arkansas, plus several towns in Missouri
> >> "Peculiar," "Tightwad", "Barely Do", "Clever," etc. Btw, I don't see
> these
> >> names as "weird" but rather merely unusual.
> >>
> >> Also, btw, about 35 years ago the police chief in Clever was arrested
> for
> >> something, and the headline for the story in my local newspaper said:
> >> "Clever Police Chief Arrested."  Maybe I was the only one who noticed
> this,
> >> but I couldn't help thinking: "If he was so clever, what was he doing
> >> getting arrested?"
> >>
> >> Gerald Cohen
> >> Rolla, Missouri
> >>
> >> ________________________________________
> >> Jonathan Lighter wrote, January 19, 2014 10:50 AM:
> >>
> >> <snip>
> >> And where on the list is Hog Eye, Arkansas?
> >>
> >> JL
> >>
> >>
> >> On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 11:41 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> >> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> >>
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> >>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> >>> Subject:      Re: 50 "weird" U.S. place names
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>
> >>> That's my guess, but I don't see the joke either.
> >>>
> >>> But remember, these journalists spell "butt" with an E.
> >>>
> >>> Maybe they're French.
> >>>
> >>> JL
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 11:28 AM, Spanbock/Svoboda-Spanbock <
> >>> spanbocks at verizon.net> wrote:
> >>>
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> >>>> Poster:       Spanbock/Svoboda-Spanbock <spanbocks at VERIZON.NET>
> >>>> Subject:      Re: 50 "weird" U.S. place names
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>
> >>>> I guess because neighborhoods that are called 'Little' are called that
> >>>> because they derive their character from another place that is a large
> >>> and
> >>>> established cultural center? Here in L.A., we have Little Tokyo (but
> we
> >>>> also have the less known Little Osaka.) In Miami, they have Little
> >>> Havana.
> >>>>
> >>>> On Jan 18, 2014, at 10:33 PM, Mark Mandel wrote:
> >>>>
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> >>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>>>> Poster:       Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> >>>>> Subject:      Re: 50 "weird" U.S. place names
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I must be missing something. What's funny about Little Compton? (I
> >> know
> >>>>> it'll hit me as soon as I hit SEND.)
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Mark
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Tue, Jan 14, 2014 at 5:12 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
> >>>> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> http://screen.yahoo.com/buzzfeed/50-weirdest-city-names-50-221140519.html
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Observe how some people seem to think "butt" is spelled with a B.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> JL
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> --
> >>>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> >>>> truth."
> >>>>>>
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> >>
> >>
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