England is well-known for street names that seem NSFW, especially in American English. Those street names may be centuries old, and they sometimes mean something quite different from what they sound like. The name could be a descendant of Old English words, or just a geographical feature that doesn’t translate well. Some, however, were originally meant as exactly what they sound like now.
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The British often celebrate their rude street names, though understanding why they’re rude requires a schoolboy’s knowledge of slang. For a people considered demure, their vocabulary of filthy words is truly impressive. In 2016, the UK’s Office of Communications, a government agency that regulates offensive language on radio and television, published the results of a survey asking British people which words they considered the most offensive. The study only confirmed that British and American English are two different languages. I could hardly understand why many of the words were dirty at all, from the mild (“git”?) to the medium (what are “bint” and “munter,” and why are they about the same level of rudeness as “tits”?). But I could see why busloads of tourists detoured to take pictures in front of signs for Cracknuts Lane, St. Gregory’s Back Alley, Slutshole Road, and Cockshut Lane. An Oxford resident complained that he finds his street name most awkward when he is sitting with “official people,” and they ask, “you know, where do you live?” His answer? “Crotch Crescent.”
Find out which rude street names are meant that way, and which are completely innocent at LitHub. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Duncan Harris)
Source: neatorama