October 9, 2003
What's in a name?
A group of French villages with mirth-producing names such as Filthy Pig and My Bottom have formed a league of the absurd . . .From Agence France-Presse, via Australia.The first meeting of "Villages of lyric or burlesque names" took place over the weekend in a hamlet outside the southern city of Toulouse entitled Mingocebos, which means Eat Onions in the old southern language of Occitan.
"When you go to a reception and you say you are the mayor of Bordeaux nothing happens. When you say you are the mayor of Cucugnan people laugh," said Denis Descube, a municipal official in Cucugnan, whose name evokes twice over the French for Arse.
Other villages taking part were Beaufou (Beautiful Mad), Saligos (Filthy Pig) and Cocumont (Cuckold Hill). Trecon (Very Stupid) and Montcuq (My Arse) stayed away.
Posted by David on October 9, 2003 10:40 PM
Those earthy Frenchmen left their mark in the Western U.S. a while back:
... "The Grand Tetons". Say it in French: les grands tétons – and you immediately know what it means...
From the The State of French Studies in the US.
Posted by: Peter Shriner on October 11, 2003 10:09 AM
The name of the Grand Tetons is particularly compelling when you see it on a t-shirt worn by a well-endowed woman.
Posted by: Steven Jens on October 14, 2003 2:51 AM
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