archipelago

en-noun

archipelago (plural archipelagos or archipelagoes)

archipelagos (plural)
archipelagoes (plural)

/ˌɑːkɪˈpɛləɡəʊ/

/ˌɑɹkəˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/

From Italian arcipelago, formed on the basis of Ancient Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “main”) + πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”), a designation for the Aegean Sea. (Compare arch- and high seas.) The Aegean Sea is a sea with many islands; the term Arcipelago, originally a proper noun referring to the Aegean Sea, was first generalized to a common noun for any sea with many islands, and then to the islands in such a sea.

For many years past the whaleship has been the pioneer in ferreting out the remotest and least known parts of the earth. She has explored seas and archipelagoes which had no chart, where no Cook or Vancouver had ever sailed.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

(collective, geography) A group of islands.


Hogmanay

Hogmanay (countable and uncountable, plural Hogmanays)

/ˈhɒɡməˌneɪ/

/ˌhɒɡməˈneɪ/

/ˈhɑɡməˌneɪ/

/ˌhɑɡməˈneɪ/

From Scots Hogmanay, probably from Old French aguillanneuf (“last day of the year”).

der

Each year the Hogmanay celebration and the Christmas market on Princes Street Gardens that accompanies it, together with the ever-growing international festival and fringe, eats up more and more of our public spaces.

2020 January 5, Kevin McKenna, “Rebel alliance ready to put a halt to the ‘disneyfication’ of Edinburgh”, in The Observer, →ISSN:


Scottish Gaelic

The Gaelic language of Scotland, spoken primarily in the northern and western parts of the country.


Loch Ness monster

(cryptozoology) A large creature believed by some to inhabit Loch Ness in Scotland. It is said to have a long neck and one or more humps that protrude from the water.


Nessie

That flurry of activity had been set off by a magisterial book (Whyte, 1957), reinforced by Dinsdale’s filming of a Nessie (Dinsdale, 1961) and culminating in successful underwater photography (Rines et al., 1976) by the Academy of Applied Science (AAS). Nessies were assigned the taxonomic identity Nessiteras rhombopteryx (Anonymous, 1975).

2002, Henry H. B. Auer, “The Case for the Loch Ness 'Monster': The Scientific Evidence”, in Journal of Scientific Exploration, volume 16, number 2, pages 225–246:

And if it comes down to just one vote, we all know who will be called upon to break that tie. Go with your gut, Nessie. You do you, Nessie, you do you.

2014, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Scottish Independence”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 1, episode 17, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:

(informal, cryptozoology) The Loch Ness monster.


Okinawa

/ˌɒkiːˈnɑːwə/

/ˌəʊkiːˈnɑːwə/

Borrowed from Japanese 沖縄(おきなわ) (Okinawa).

Okinawa City
Okinawa Island
Okinawa Islands
Okinawa Prefecture

An island, city, and prefecture of Japan.

(historical, World War II) The Battle of Okinawa, which took place there in 1945.


Devon

From Old English Defenas, which meant both "Devonians" and "Devon," exemplifying the common Anglo-Saxon practice of naming a place after the people who inhabit it.

A county of England bordered by Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, the Bristol Channel and the English Channel.


Papua

There are three theories:
* From Malay pepuah (“curly (of hair)”) for the natives of the island of New Guinea.
* From Ternate/Tidore papo ua (“not united; not coalesced”), referring to the territory that geographically was far away from the Sultanate of Tidore (and thus not united). The territory was called papo ua gam sio (“nine village/region that is not united”).
* From Biak sup i babwa (“the land below [the sunset]”), referring to the islands (Raja Ampat) west of the Bird's Head, as far as Halmahera.

The southern part of what is now called Papua New Guinea, formerly administered as a separate territory to New Guinea.


Papua

The Papuas are so termed in the Malay language, from their extreme darkness, approaching to black.

1841, The Colonial Magazine and Commercial-Maritime Journal, page 447:

The Papua are more numerous in the Philippine Islands than anywhere else, with the exception of New Guinea.

1856, The Quarterly Review of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, page 502:


Big Island

Islands of Hawaii
Islands of Hawaii#English

(informal) An island in Islands of Hawaii, Pacific, Hawaii, United States; The largest of the Hawaiian Islands, for which the island chain and the state are named.


Nottingham

Inherited from Old English Snotingahām. The Normans found the consonant cluster /sn/ difficult to pronounce, so the initial S was dropped.

Baltimore County
Baltimore County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Prince George's County
Prince George's County#English

A small town in Prince George's County, Maryland.


Troubles

Under McGlinchey's leadership, the INLA committed several atrocities and murders during the Troubles, resulting in the Co Derry native's imprisonment both north and south of the border.

2023 August 1, “Son of slain republicans brings actions”, in The Irish Times, page 4:

(Ireland, historical) The continued violence and terrorist, military and paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland that happened from the mid 1960s to the late 1990s.

na Trioblóidí

violence in Northern Ireland, 1960s–1990s


Londoner

From Middle English Londonere, from Old English Lundenware, Lundenwaran pl (“Londoners”), from Lunden (“London”) + -ware pl (suffix denoting inhabitants), equivalent to London + -er (“inhabitant of”, demonymic suffix).

suf

But the raw material that the Underground had to work on - Londoners themselves - was possibly not of the best. In 1905 Charles Yerkes had said:
Londoners are the worst people to get a move on I ever knew. To see them board and get off a train one thinks they had a thousand years to do it in; still they are getting better, and in the end I shall work them down to an allowance of thirty seconds.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 214:

Khan countered this by alleging that 'unfair' conditions, such as raising council tax, are being attached to any new funding deal that would "punish Londoners" for the effect the pandemic has had on passenger numbers. He added: "These short-term deals are trapping TfL on life support rather than putting it on the path to long-term sustainability."

2022 January 12, “Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emergency funding”, in RAIL, number 948, page 8:

A person from, or an inhabitant of, London.


triskelion

en-noun

triskelion (plural triskelions or triskelia)

Coined c. 1881, as a diminutive of triskeles, specifically in numismatics to refer to minuscule forms of the symbol found on ancient coins. No direct derivation from Katharevousa τρισκέλιον (triskélion, “three-legged stool; rule of three, analogy”).

Sicily and the Isle of Man use triskelia as their emblems.

A figure composed of three interlocked spirals (or three bent human legs), with threefold rotational symmetry.

三曲腳圖

figure composed of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs


Martha's Vineyard

This was originally the name given to a smaller island to the south by the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who sailed to the island in 1602. The island is thought to have been named after Gosnold's mother-in-law or his daughter, both named Martha.

An island in Dukes County, Massachusetts, famous for once being home to one of the earliest known deaf communities.


Kerry

* As an English surname, from a personal name derived from Old Norse Kári.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Ciardha (“descendant of Ciardha”), from ciar (“black”).

A county of Ireland. County seat: Tralee.


Scots

Borrowed from Scots Scots, from Middle Scots Scottis, from Old English Scottysċ, a late variant of earlier Scyttisċ (“Scottish”). Doublet of Scottish.

A Germanic language closely related to English and descended from northern dialects of Middle English, spoken in parts of Scotland, now especially in the northeastern and southern regions of the country.


James

en-proper noun

James (countable and uncountable, plural Jameses)

⇒ English: Jim (diminutive)

⇒ English: Jimmy, Jimmie, Jimmi, Jimi (diminutive)

⇒ English: Jimbo (diminutive)

→ Hindi: जिम्बो (jimbo)

→ Hawaiian: Kimo

⇒ English: Jem (diminutive)

⇒ English: Jemmy (diminutive)

⇒ English: Jamie, Jamey (diminutive)

⇒ English: Jay (diminutive)

desc

→ Chinese: → 詹姆斯 (Zhānmǔsī) (transliteration)

→ Cornish: Jammes, Jamma

→ Danish: James

→ Fijian: Semesa

→ Icelandic: James

desctree

→ Irish: Séamas, Séamus, Seumas
→ English: Seamus, Shamus

→ Manx: Jayms

→ Maori: Hemi

→ Samoan: Semisi

→ Scottish Gaelic: Seumas
→ English: Hamish

→ Swedish: James

→ Welsh: Siâms

The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iacomus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iacobus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Ἰακώβ (Iakṓb), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿăqōḇ). Doublet of Jacques, Jacob, Iago, Jago, Yago, Hamish, Seamus, and Santiago. In reference to the Ecuadorian island, a modification of the earlier name Duke of York's Island after its eponymous duke's coronation as James II of England.
See Occitan Jacme for an intermediary between Old French James and Catalan Jaume.

der

Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (Yaʿăqōḇ)

doublet

Former name of Santiago, an island in Galapagos, Ecuador.


sextary

From Middle English sextarie, sextary, anglicized from Latin sextārius (“pint”). Doublet of sextarius.

The sextary seems to have contained 6 gallons, and is also used for cider and wine.

1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 1, page 172:

(historical) An Anglo-Saxon unit of liquid measure, chiefly used for wine and cider.


Cebu

From Spanish Cebú, from Cebuano Sugbo, from sugbo (“to dive into the water”).

An island in Central Visayas, Visayas, Philippines


Novocastrian

From Latin novus (“new”) + castra (“castle, fort”).

Of or relating to Newcastle upon Tyne or Newcastle, New South Wales.


Novocastrian

A native or resident of Newcastle upon Tyne or Newcastle, New South Wales.


Great Britain

Of the island of Great Britain, to disambiguate Britain from Brittany, i.e. Lesser Britain. From Middle English Great Brittaigne, Grete Britaigne, Grete breteygne, grete Bretayne, grete breteyne, parallelling Anglo-Norman Grande Brettayne and c. 12th-century Medieval Latin Britannia Maior. Equivalent to Great + Britain.
King James VI and I in 1604 proclaimed himself “King of Great Britain, France and Ireland”.

Holonym: British Isles

(geographical) an island and sometimes including some of the surrounding smaller islands) off the north-west coast of Western Europe made up of England, Scotland, and Wales.

ഗ്രേറ്റ് ബ്രിട്ടൺ

grēṟṟŭ briṭṭaṇ

Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain

(historical or loosely) The United Kingdom, or its predecessor the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1801).

Groot-Brittanje

United Kingdom — see also United Kingdom, Kingdom of Great Britain


Scouser

From scouse + -er, from scouse, a common stew in Liverpool.


Liverpudlian

en-adj

Liverpudlian (comparative more Liverpudlian, superlative most Liverpudlian)

more Liverpudlian (comparative)
most Liverpudlian (superlative)

From Liverpool and puddle, as a pun on a puddle being a small pool.


Liverpudlian

A native or resident of Liverpool in England.

Liverpoolien

a native or resident of Liverpool in England

(soccer) someone connected with Liverpool Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.


quid

Borrowed from Latin quid (“what, something”), neuter singular of quis (“who”).

(US, historical) A member of a section of the Democratic-Republican Party between 1805 and 1811, following John Randolph of Roanoke. (From tertium quid.)


quid

Likely derives from the phrase quid pro quo (“this for that”), referring to the exchange of goods/services for money.

Seven quid for a toastie? You're joking aren't you?!

Forty quid a fuckin ticket. No shy they British Rail cunts, ah kin fuckin tell ye.

1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 114:

The ride costs exactly fifteen quid, but that doesn't include the tip, and bitter is two pounds a pint.

1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, pages 71–72:

(UK, colloquial) Pound sterling. (usually only used with a whole number of pounds)

(Ireland, Commonwealth, colloquial, historical) Various national currencies typically known by the name "pound".

(Ireland, colloquial, by extension) Euro.


Scot

From Old English Scottas (“people from Ireland, Irishmen”), from Late Latin Scotti (see Scōtī for more).
See Scoti.


corgi

en-noun

corgi (plural corgis or corgies or (rare) corgwn)

corgis (plural)
corgies (plural)
corgwn (plural rare)

PIE word
 *ḱwṓ
Borrowed from Welsh corgi, a compound of cor (“dwarf”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”)) + gi (the soft mutation of ci (“dog”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”), perhaps from *peḱ- (“livestock; wealth”)).
The rare plural form corgwn is borrowed from Welsh corgwn.

der

By this time the Pembrokeshire—the short-tailed corgwn—were increasing in popularity very rapidly. The Cardiganshire variety lagged behind their more numerous cousins, but, even so, almost all the larger shows of this country had classes […]

1966 July 14, S. M. Lampson, “Sturdy Farm Dogs from Wales”, in John Adams, editor, Country Life, volume 140, London: George Newnes […], →OCLC, page 69:

[W]hich news item do we have to worry about and have a view on? Not, presumably, the fact that the Queen is going cool on corgies; probably not how space exploration is getting on; townies can maybe skip the fates of either cows or badgers.

2015 July 27, Katharine Whitehorn, “Need we follow all the news?”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2016-03-09:

While larger, longer corgwn with tails were found in the lowland and hill farms of central and northern Cardiganshire, in the south a shorter, lighter corgi was more common.

2016, Janet Vorwald Dohner, “Herding Dogs”, in Deborah Burns, Lisa H. Hiley, editors, Farm Dogs: A Comprehensive Breed Guide to 93 Guardians, Herders, Terriers, and Other Canine Working Partners, North Adams, Mass.: Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 200, column 1:

Participating pooches must be between 12-20 weeks old at the time of taping. This year, two labradoodles, a pomsky and a corgi are among members the Central Florida contingent.

2023 January 27, Patrick Connolly, “Meet the Orlando rescue dogs playing in Puppy Bowl XIX”, in Orlando Sentinel:

Short for Welsh corgi (“a type of herding dog originating from Wales, having a small body, short legs, and fox-like features such as large ears; two separate breeds are recognized: the Cardigan Welsh Corgi and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi”).

korgi

short for Welsh corgi — see also Welsh corgi


mitre

From Middle English mytre, from Old French mitre, from Ancient Greek μίτρα (mítra, “headband, turban”). Its use in reference to a counterfeit coin derived from the bishop's mitre stamped upon it. Doublet of Mithras, Mithra, Mitra, and Mehr.

doublet

(historical, numismatics) A 13th-century coin minted in Europe which circulated in Ireland as a debased counterfeit sterling penny, outlawed under Edward I.


Derbyshire

A midland county of England bounded by South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.


Buckinghamshire

From Old English Buccingahāmsċīr (“district of Bucca's home”), from Buccingahāmme + sċīr, first element from Bucca (see bucca (“he-goat”)) + inga- + ham. By surface analysis, Buckingham + -shire.

surf

An inland county of England bounded by Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Greater London, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.


Cambridgeshire

An inland county in East Anglia, England. County town Cambridge, bordered by Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.


Bristol

Latin bristoliensis

From Middle English Brigstow, from Old English Bryċġstōw (literally “the place by the bridge”), from bryċġ + -stōw, with additional final /l/ due to hypercorrection from l-vocalizing accents. See bridge and stow for more.
The tiddlywinks sense is associated with players from Bristol University.

inh

A city, ceremonial county, and unitary authority in southwest England bordering Gloucestershire, Somerset and The River Severn.

A suburban city in Hartford County, Connecticut.

A small city, the county seat of Liberty County, Florida.

A tiny city in Day County, South Dakota.

Several places in the United States:
A city in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Several places in the United States:
An independent city in Virginia.


Cymru

Borrowed from Welsh Cymru. Doublet of Cambria.

Communicating in English was usual till a common language could be established. But neither I nor Rob wished anyone to prioritise English on our behalf and the fact that anyone could be offended at hearing Cymraeg in Cymru was wretched. […] My friends had only been in Cymru a year, but Tim knew more local history than me, and the kids, being young, were already nearly fluent in Cymraeg.

2022, Julie Brominicks, The Edge of Cymru: A Journey, Bridgend: Seren, published 2023, →ISBN:


Mancunian

]
From Latin Mancunium (appearing in a 4th-century manuscript of the Antonine Itinerary), an alternative name for or corruption of Mamucium (“name of the Roman fort at what is now Manchester”) + -an, probably modelled after Late Latin Mancuniensis (“related or pertaining to Mancunium”).

cog

But the Mancunians are of all men the most disposed to peace. Their name has become a bye-word because they are said to require peace at any price. If the Mancunians are satisfied, for Heaven's sake do not let us put it into their heads that they could gain anything by change.

1859, [Arthur Helps], “War”, in Friends in Council: A Series of Readings and Discourse thereon (New Series), 2nd edition, volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker & Son, West Strand, →OCLC, page 137:

In this epitome of local medical history there is much of which any Mancunian can be proud, be he a medical man, a citizen of Greater Manchester or a member of its universities.

1984, S. W. Stanbury, “Foreword”, in Willis J. Elwood, A. Félicité Tuxford, editors, Some Manchester Doctors: A Biographical Collection to Mark the 150th Anniversary of the Manchester Medical Society 1834–1984, Manchester, Dover, N.H.: Published for the Manchester Medical Society by Manchester University Press, →ISBN, page vii:

Mancunians have shown their defiance in the face of terror after a suicide bomber killed 22 people in the city on Monday night.

2017 May 23, Sarah Ann Harris, “Manchester bombing prompts extraordinary messages of defiance: ‘F*ck terrorism stick the kettle on.’”, in HuffPost, archived from the original on 2017-05-23:

A person raised or living in the city of Manchester, England, in the United Kingdom.


IRA

Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army#English

(Ireland, UK, politics) Initialism of Irish Republican Army.


Isles of Scilly

From Cornish Syllan, from British Latin (Insulae) Sillinae, Silina, Siluruni, found in Ancient Greek as Σίλυρες (Sílures), Σύρινες (Súrines), of uncertain origin, but suggested by some to be from solis insulae (“isles of the sun”).

An archipelago off the coast of Cornwall, in southwestern England.


Scillonian

A native or inhabitant of the Isles of Scilly, a Scilly Islander.

Scillonier

native of the Isles of Scilly, a Scilly Islander


Tyrone

en-proper noun

Tyrone (countable and uncountable, plural Tyrones)

From Irish Tír Eoghain (literally “land of Eoghan”).

der

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland#English

A county of Northern Ireland, Ireland island, United Kingdom; One of the six traditional counties in Northern Ireland, often known as County Tyrone.


Gibraltar

/d͡ʒɪˈbɹɔːltə(ɹ)/

/d͡ʒɪˈbɹɒltə(ɹ)/

Pillars of Hercules
Rock of Gibraltar
Tariq ibn Ziyad
Umayyad conquest of Hispania

From Spanish Gibraltar, from Arabic جَبَل طَارِق (jabal ṭāriq, “Mount Tariq”), named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, who led the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, starting in 711. Replaced earlier Latin Mons Calpe (“Mount Calpe”) for the land, and Columnae Herculis, from Ancient Greek Ἡράκλειαι στῆλαι (Hērákleiai stêlai, “Pillars of Hercules”), for the strait.
The barangay in Baguio, Philippines is named by a German national "Jonathan Speth" after the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe. He lived and died in the barangay.

جَبَل طَارِق

cog

Ἡράκλειαι στῆλαι

A peninsula, city, and overseas territory of the United Kingdom, at the southern end of Iberia.


Tara

Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.

der

No more to chiefs and ladies bright
The harp of Tara swells

An Irish place name, associated with the Hill of Tara, seat of ancient Irish kings.

A female given name transferred from the place name, of 20th century and later usage.

the story of Tara Cochrane, a war veteran, a physician, and a burned-out man who describes himself in terms of a bad cigarette

1952, Janice Holt Giles, Tara's Healing:


bagpipes

en-noun

bagpipes pl (normally plural, singular bagpipe)

From earlier bagpipe, from Middle English bagpipe; equivalent to bag + pipes.

Bagpipes are traditionally played in most Celtic regions and many former parts of the British Empire.

“Iʼll tell you something: there is nothing in the world like the sound of the bagpipes to raise a manʼs morale, to lift his spirits, and give him strength.”

2005, Jennifer Worth, Shadows of the Workhouse, Weidenfeld & Nicholson (2009), page 250:

A musical wind instrument possessing a flexible bag inflated by bellows, a double-reed melody pipe and up to four drone pipes; any aerophone that produces sound using air from a reservoir to vibrate enclosed reeds.


pound sterling

The sterling was originally a silver penny. 240 of them made a pound.

Andrew Houſtoun and Adam Muſhet, being Tackſmen of the Excize, did Imploy Thomas Rue to be their Collector, and gave him a Sallary of 30. pound Sterling for a year.

1668 July 3rd, James Dalrymple, “Thomas Rue contra Andrew Houſtoun” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 547


Hollywood Irish

Irish people and culture as stereotypically portrayed by the movie industry, particularly from the USA.


Sinn Féin

From Irish Sinn Féin (literally “we ourselves”) from sinn (“we, us”) + féin (“-self, -selves”).

compound

Ireland’s largest party, Fianna Fáil, has said it will not consider going into government with Sinn Féin, a decision likely to prevent the leftwing nationalists from entering power for the first time.

2020 February 13, “Ireland: Fianna Fáil rules out coalition with Sinn Féin”, in The Guardian, sourced from Reuters, →ISSN:

(Irish politics) An Irish political party committed to the reunification of Ireland.


West Indies

From west + Indies. From being lands called the Indies, of the West. From being mistaken for the East Indies (aka, the Indies).

(cricket) A Federation of Caribbean states which, together with Guyana, play Test matches as if they were a single nation.


Herefordshire

From Middle English Herefordschire; equivalent to Hereford + -shire.

An inland county of England bordered by Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Radnorshire and Brecknockshire.


Northamptonshire

A midland county of England. County town Northampton, bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.


Oxfordshire

From Middle English Oxenfordschire; equivalent to Oxford + -shire.

A midland county of England bordered by Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.


Huntingdonshire

A former inland county of Eastern England, now absorbed into Cambridgeshire.


Cheshire

From Old English Ceastersċīr, from Ceaster (“Chester”, from ceaster, from Latin castra (“camp”)) + scīr (“district, shire”).

A northwestern county of England, bordered by the Rivers Mersey and Dee, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Wrexham and Flintshire.


Staffordshire

From Middle English Staffordschire; equivalent to Stafford + -shire.

A ceremonial county of West Midlands, England, bordered by Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.


Nottinghamshire

"Good morrow to thee, jolly fellow," quoth Robin, "thou seemest happy this merry morn."
"Ay, that am I," quoth the jolly Butcher, "and why should I not be so? Am I not hale in wind and limb? Have I not the bonniest lass in all Nottinghamshire? And lastly, am I not to be married to her on Thursday next in sweet Locksley Town?"

1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:

A north-midland county of England bordered by South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire.


Rutland

Unclear. Attested in Old English as Roteland and Ritelanede. Perhaps hrīþer (“cattle”) + land (“land”), or from the personal name Rota + land.

unk

Unclear

A small landlocked county in the East Midlands of England.


Northumberland

From Middle English Northumberlond, Northhumberlond, equivalent to Northumbria + land. Compare Old Norse Norðymbraland (“Northumberland”).

noncog

The most northerly county of England bordered by County Durham, Cumbria, Tyne and Wear, Scotland and the North Sea.

Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne#English

A unitary authority in England which includes all of the traditional county except the area around Newcastle upon Tyne.


Dorset

From the county town of Dorchester. The Old English name was Dornwaraceaster, composed of the British Latin name Durnovaria and the common suffix -ceaster; the word was eventually reduced to Dornsæte, a reduction of the original name + the suffix -sǣte (“people, dwellers”).

A maritime county of England, bounded by Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Devon and the English Channel.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole#English

A unitary authority in England which includes all of the traditional county except Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, a separate unitary authority.

A community of Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada.

Haliburton County
Haliburton County#English

An unincorporated community in Henrietta Township, Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States.

A township and unincorporated community therein, in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, named after Dorset, Vermont.

Ashtabula County
Ashtabula County#English

A town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States, named after the English county.

Bennington County
Bennington County#English


Suffolk

From Middle English Suffolk, from Old English Sūþfolc, a compound of sūþ + folc.

Holonym: East Anglia

Comeronym: Norfolk

A maritime county in the east of England, bordered by Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and the North Sea.


Shropshire

/ˈʃɹɒp.ʃə(ɹ)/

From Old English Sċrobbesbyriġscīr, from Sċrobbesburh (“Shrewsbury”) + sċīr (“shire”).

An inland county of England bordered by the English counties of Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the Welsh county of Powys and county borough of Wrexham.


Worcestershire

From Middle English Wyrcestreschire; equivalent to Worcester + -shire.

A midland county of England bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and West Midlands.


Surrey

From Old English Sūþrigē, Sūþrigēa (“southern region”), from sūþerne (“southern”) + -gē (“district, region”).

compound

An inland county of South East England, bordered by Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex, East Sussex and Berkshire.

The easternmost of the three historical counties of Jamaica, bordered by the county of Middlesex in the west; named after the English county.


Somerset

From Old English Sumorsǣte, which is short for Sumortūnsǣte, meaning "the people living at or dependent upon Sumortūn (Somerton)". An alternative suggestion is that the name derives from *Seo-mere-sætan meaning "settlers by the sea lakes".

A maritime county in the west of England bordered by Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon, the Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel.


Lancashire

/ˈlæŋkəˌʃɪə/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-Lancashire.wav

From Middle English Lancastreshire, from Lancaster + Old English scir (“district”).

A maritime county in the north-west of England bordered by the Irish Sea, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Merseyside.


Essex

Inherited from Old English Ēastseaxan (literally “East Saxons”), which stood for both Essex and the people of Essex.

Essex

small unincorporated community in San Bernadino County, California

Essex

coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts

A maritime county of England bordered by the North Sea, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Greater London, and separated from Kent by the Thames estuary.


Wiltshire

From Middle English Wiltonshire, from Old English Wiltūnsċīr (Wiltescire 1086 Domesday Book), named after the town of Wilton in the county (Old English Wiltūn).

Wiltshire actually comes from Wiltonshire, for Wilton was once a county town, royal residence and bishopric - a place of significance.

2023 June 28, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: Alton to Exeter”, in RAIL, number 986, page 59:

An inland county of England bordered by Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Berkshire.

A unitary authority in England which includes all of the traditional county except Swindon, a separate unitary authority.


Berkshire

From Middle English Berchesire, Barrokshyre, Berrucsire, from Old English Bearrocscire, Berrocscire, Bearrucscire, taken from the Bearroc woods, possibly from Proto-Brythonic *barrọg, perhaps meaning “hilly” (compare *barros (“hill, peak, top”)) + Old English sċīr (“shire, county”).

Berkshire
Berkshire (disambiguation)#Other places
Berkshire pig

My convention diary is unusually disjointed, since I was mingily commuting from Berkshire rather than pay £65 per night for a single room.

2005, David Langford, The Sex Column and Other Misprints, page 66:

An inland county of England, bounded by Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Greater London and Wiltshire.


Cornwall

From Middle English Cornwale, Cornwaile, from Old English Cornwēalas (“Cornwall, inhabitants of Cornwall”), from Proto-Celtic *karnos (“horn”) + Old English wealh (“stranger, foreigner”). Compare Wales/Welsh, Walloon, Gaul.

inh

A maritime county of England; forming its south-western extremity, bordered by Devon in the east.

The westernmost of the three historical counties of Jamaica, bordered by the county of Middlesex in the east; named for the English county.


South Yorkshire

East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire

(from 1974) A metropolitan county in northeastern England bordering West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.


West Sussex

A county in south-east England, bordered by East Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and the English Channel.


Merseyside

United were second-best for long periods as they struggled to adapt to an unfamiliar line-up and were ultimately fortunate to leave Merseyside with their unbeaten league run still intact.

2011 October 15, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 1 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:

A metropolitan county in northwestern England bordering Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.


Tyne and Wear

Named after the two main rivers in the county.

A metropolitan county in the north-east of England, bordering County Durham and Northumberland.


East Riding of Yorkshire

A local government district and ceremonial county in the north east of England.


Isle of Sheppey

An island off the north coast of Kent, England, in the Thames estuary.


Foulness

An island off the east coast of Essex where the Thames estuary joins the North Sea.


West Yorkshire

(from 1974) A metropolitan county in northern England bordering Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester.


Tresco

The second largest of the Isles of Scilly.


Stevenage

A new town and borough in north Hertfordshire, England, part of London’s commuter belt (OS grid ref TL2324).


Norfolk

Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk
James Cook
Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk (disambiguation)
William Ambrosia Cowley

From Middle English Northfolk, from Old English Norþfolc (literally “northern people”), from norþ (“north, northern”) + folc (“folk, people, race, nation”). As an Ecuadorian island, clipping of Duke of Norfolk's Island, bestowed by William Ambrosia Cowley in 1684 honor of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk; his son Henry, the 7th duke; or both. As an Australian island and territory, bestowed by James Cook in 1774 in honor of Mary Howard, wife of the 9th duke.

der

Holonym: East Anglia

Comeronym: Suffolk

A maritime county of eastern England bordered by Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, and the North Sea.

Short for Norfolk County, a county of Massachusetts, United States.

Norfolk County

(historical) Short for Norfolk County, a former county of Virginia, United States.

Norfolk County

Short for Norfolk Island, an island in Australia.

(historical) Former name of Santa Cruz, an island in Galapagos, Ecuador.


Camden

From Old English campas (“enclosure”) + denu (“valley”).

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Fresno County, California.

A minor city and inactive township in Ray County, Missouri; probably named for an early settler.

A community of Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Colchester County
Colchester County#English


Wrexham

From Old English personal name Wryhtel + 's + Old English hamm (“water meadow”).

A county borough in northeastern Wales, United Kingdom, named after the town, formerly belonging to Denbighshire and Clwyd.


North Yorkshire

(from 1974) A county in northeastern England, bordering the East Riding of Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and County Durham.


Greater London

An administrative area in England combining the City of London, the City of Westminster and 31 other London boroughs. Greater London borders (anticlockwise) Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Kent.


Isle of Wight

From Old English Wiht, Wihte iegland, Latin Vectis (c.150), from Proto-Celtic *ixtis (literally “nether”), akin to Old Irish icht (“nether, bottom”), Muir n-Icht (“English Channel”, literally “the nether sea”), referring to the fact that the Isle of Wight is one of the southernmost islands of the British Isles.

Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight (disambiguation)

懷特島

island and county off the south coast of England

Isle of Wight County
Isle of Wight County#English

An unincorporated community, the county seat of the Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States.


daffodil

en-noun

daffodil (countable and uncountable, plural daffodils)

Variant of Middle English affodill (“ramson”), from Medieval Latin affodillus, from Latin asphodelus, from Ancient Greek ἀσφόδελος (asphódelos), of Pre-Greek origin. The initial d- is perhaps from merging of the article in Dutch de affodil, the Netherlands being a source for bulbs (compare adder, apron, newt, nickname, orange and umpire for this rebracketing process). Doublet of asphodel.

When daffadils begin to peere, / With heigh the Doxy ouer the dale, / Why then comes in the ſweet o’ the yeere, / For the red blood raigns in yͤ winters pale.

c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 290, column 1:

I wandered lonely as a Cloud / That floats on high o’er Vales and Hills, / When all at once I saw a crowd / A host of dancing Daffodills; / Along the Lake, beneath the trees, / Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

1807, William Wordsworth, “[I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud]”, in Poems, in Two Volumes, volume II, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], →OCLC, stanza 1, page 49:

Was there ever a more beautiful name in the world than daffodil? Say it over to yourself, and then say “agapanthus” or “chrysanthemum,” or anything else you please, and tell me if the daffodils do not have it.

1919 November 20, A[lan] A[lexander] Milne, “Daffodils”, in Not That It Matters, New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Company […], published 1920, →OCLC, page 82:

(countable) A bulbous plant of the genus Narcissus, with yellow flowers and a trumpet shaped corona, especially Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the national flower of Wales.


Croydon

From Old English Crogedena ("saffron valley"), from Old English croh (“saffron”) (< Latin crocus (“saffron”)) + Old English denu (“valley”).

South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire#English

A village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL3149).

A town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

An unincorporated community in Morgan County, Utah.

A suburb of Sydney, in the Municipality of Burwood and Inner West council area, New South Wales.


Hampshire

en-proper noun

Hampshire (countable and uncountable, plural Hampshires)

From ham + shire (“county”), from Old English Hāmtūnsċīr. The 'p' evolved phonetically between [m] and [sh], as with Thompson.
The community in Prince Edward Island is named after the county in England. The name was inspired by nearby Wiltshire.

A maritime county in the south of England, United Kingdom bordered by Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex, Dorset, Wiltshire, the English Channel and the Solent separating it from the Isle of Wight; the county town is Winchester.


Southwark

A London borough of Greater London, extending as far as Crystal Palace south of the River Thames, including the historic borough plus the Pool of London and Bankside.


Kent

From Old English Cent, from Latin Cantium, from Brythonic *Cantio (compare Old Irish céite (“gathering, folkmoot, hillock”)), from Proto-Celtic *kantos (“corner, rim”).

cog

A maritime county in southeast England bordered by East Sussex, Surrey, Greater London, the North Sea and the English Channel.


eisteddfod

en-noun

eisteddfod (plural eisteddfods or eisteddfodau)

eisteddfods (plural)
eisteddfodau (plural)

Unadapted borrowing from Welsh eisteddfod (“session”), from eistedd (“to sit”) + bod (“to be”), literally “being sitting”.

affix

Any of several annual festivals in which Welsh poets, dancers, and musicians compete for recognition.


Birmingham

/ˈbɜː.mɪŋˌhæm/

Beorma
Birmingham
Birmingham (disambiguation)

From Middle English, 1086, from Old English Beormingahām, from Beorma + ing + hām, "home of Beorma;" first element of uncertain origin but possibly from beorma (“yeast”). More at Beorma.

Birminghamian

native or resident of Birmingham, Alabama

A number of places in the United States:

Huntingdon County
Huntingdon County#English

A borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.


Cymry

Borrowed from Welsh Cymry, q.v. Cognate with English Cambrian and Cymric.

The natural conclusion is that the Silurians or Iberians, now represented by the little, dark Welshmen, are the oldest existing race in Wales, and, though now speaking Cymraeg, were long before the Cymry there.

1881, James Bonwick, Who Are the Welsh? (Our Nationalities; III), London: David Bogue, […], page 46:

“What brings you into our lands?” The strange looking barbarian asked again. / He was speaking Cymraeg, which means the language of the aborigines, or “the language of the first race.” It was the same language of the Cymry of which Cedric and his tribe was a people of.

2001, Jodie K. Scales, Of Kindred Celtic Origins, volumes 1 (Myths, Legends, Genealogy and History of an Ordinary American Family), Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 416:

(uncommon) Synonym of Welsh: the Welsh people collectively.


Manchester

Manchester
Manchester (disambiguation)
Manchester Ship Canal

→ Finnish: Manse

From Old English Mameċeaster. The first element may be from a word related to Breton mamm (“mother; female animal; womb”), in reference to a breast-shaped hill.
The second part is known to be from Old English ceaster, from Latin castra (“camp”).

der

metropolitan borough
metropolitan borough

Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester#English

A major city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in northwestern England.

United States of America
United States of America

Mendocino County
Mendocino County#English

Any of several towns and cities in the United States of America:

A census-designated place in Mendocino County, California.

Meriwether County
Meriwether County#English

A city in Meriwether County and Talbot County, Georgia.

A city, the county seat of Delaware County, Iowa.

Dickinson County
Dickinson County#English

A tiny city in Dickinson County, Kansas.

A home rule city, the county seat of Clay County, Kentucky.

Washtenaw County
Washtenaw County#English

A village in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

A tiny city in Freeborn County, Minnesota.

St. Louis County
St. Louis County#English

Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County#English

The largest city in New Hampshire, United States and one of the two county seats of Hillsborough County.

A town and village in Ontario County, New York.

A city, the county seat of Coffee County, Tennessee.

A town in Vermont, United States and one of the two shire towns of Bennington County.

Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County#English

A former independent city in Chesterfield County, Virginia, now part of the city of Richmond.


Knowledge

The drivers of the officially licensed "black cabs" are famous for their mastery of "The Knowledge" of London streets.

2004, Robert S. Wayne, Royal London in Context: The Independent Traveler's Guide to Royal London, page 177:

A course of study which must be completed by prospective London taxi drivers; consists of 320 routes through central London and many significant places.


Greenwich

/ˈɡɹinwɪt͡ʃ/

From Middle English Greenwich, from Old English Grēnawīċ, Grēnewīċ (literally “green harbour, green settlement”). Equivalent to green + -wich.
The civil parish in New Brunswick may have been named after Greenwich near London, after Greenwich Village, or after Greenwich Street in Hampstead, New York.

A number of places in the United States:

A township in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

An unincorporated community in Piute County, Utah.

Prince William County
Prince William County#English

An unincorporated community in Prince William County, Virginia.

A civil parish of Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada.


Hackney

The senses "a horse" and "(a means of transport) available for hire" derive from the fact that many horses were kept for hire in the London borough of Hackney.
The place name is from Old English Hacan ieg "Hacan's Isle" (or "Hook's Island"), referring to dry land in a marsh.

An English habitational surname from Old English.


Blighty

Corruption of the Hindustani विलायती (vilāytī) / وِلائتی (vilā'iyatī, “foreign”), which is related to Arabic ولاية (wilāyah, “state, province”), whence also, through Turkish, vilayet.
Sir Henry Yule and Arthur C. Burnell explained in their Anglo-Indian dictionary, Hobson-Jobson, published in 1886, that the word was used in the names of several kinds of exotic foreign things, especially those that the British had brought into the country, such as the tomato, विलायती बैंगन (vilāytī baiṅgan, literally “foreign aubergine”), and especially to soda water, which was commonly called विलायती पानी (vilāytī pānī, literally “foreign water”).
Blighty was the inevitable British soldier’s corruption of it. But it only came into common use as a term for Britain at the beginning of the First World War in France about 1915. It turns up in popular songs "There’s a ship that’s bound for Blighty", "We wish we were in Blighty", and "Take me back to dear old Blighty, put me on the train for London town", and in Wilfred Owen's poems, as well as many other places.
The sense of a minor wound comes from attributive use of the noun, as in “a Blighty wound,” “a Blighty one,” 1916.
In modern Australian usage, Old has been added, as in Old Country and Old Dart, as a sentimental reference to Britain.

Before I knew it, 8 August had come around and our holiday was over. As my lovely little family headed for the airport to jump ship back to Blighty, I was on the road again with fresh legs.

2016, Chris Graham, Five Minutes of Amazing: My Journey Through Dementia, London: Sphere, →ISBN, page 129:

Living in the US, I have always seized every opportunity to insist things are better in Blighty. But now both countries look ludicrous[.]

2022 January 18, Arwa Mahdawi, “Which is more dysfunctional – the US or the UK? I’ve created a Global Embarrassment Index to figure it out”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(originally military slang) Great Britain, Britain, or England, especially as viewed from abroad.


leprechaun

→ German: Leprechaun

desc

→ Italian: leprecauno, leprechaun (unadapted), leprecano, lepricauno

→ Japanese: レプラコーン (repurakōn)

→ Korean: 레프러콘 (repeureokon)

→ Portuguese: leprechaun

→ Russian: лепреко́н (leprekón)

→ Spanish: leprechaun

/ˈlɛpɹəkɔːn/

/ˈlɛpɹəˌkɔn/

/ˈlɛpɹəˌkɑn/

From Irish leipreachán, luprachán, from Middle Irish luchrupán, from Old Irish luchorpán. See also Irish lucharachán.
The word's further etymology is disputed; it is traditionally explained as a compound containing lú (“small”, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-) + corp (“body”, which is from Latin corpus). However, an alternative suggestion is that it is a derivative of Latin Lupercī (“priests of Lupercus”), who were misinterpreted as an antediluvian species by medieval Irish scholars.

af

from Proto-Indo-European <i class="Latn mention" lang="ine-pro">*h₁lengʷʰ-</i>

which is from Latin <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">corpus</i>

Do you not catch the tiny clamour, / Busy click of an elfin hammer, / Voice of the leprechaun singing shrill, / As he merrily plies his trade?

1888, William Allingham, “The Lepracaun; or Fairy Shoemaker”, in William Butler Yeats, editor, Irish Fairy and Folk Tales, pages 86–87:

(Irish folklore) One of a race of elves that can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them.

（爱尔兰民间传说里的）短妖精

[Àiěrlán mínjiān chuánshuō lǐ de] duǎn yāojing


atoll

→ Catalan: atol

→ Dutch: atol
→ Indonesian: atol

→ Finnish: atolli

→ French: atoll
→ Romanian: atol

→ German: Atoll

→ Irish: atall

→ Italian: atollo

→ Lithuanian: atolas

→ Norwegian Bokmål: atoll

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: atoll

→ Polish: atol

Borrowed from Portuguese atol, from Dhivehi އަތޮޅު (atoḷu), possibly from Prakrit *𑀲𑀁𑀢𑀻𑀞 (*saṃtīṭha), from Sanskrit *संतीर्थ (saṃtīrtha, “level ford”). The traditional etymology from Persian آبتل (âb-tal, “water-hillock”) is unlikely.

der

A type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform.


Orange Order

Its name is a tribute to the Dutch-born Protestant king William of Orange, who defeated the army of Catholic king James VII & II in the Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691).

A Northern Ireland religious and political organisation, loyal to the British crown and with strong anti-Catholicism policies.


Green, White and Gold

From the 19th century, to describe an earlier flag that incorporated a golden harp. The term is still used informally even though the modern Irish flag is green, white and orange.

(informal) The flag of the Republic of Ireland.


kilt

From Middle English kilten (“to tuck up, gird”), apparently from North Germanic, ultimately from Old Norse kelta, kjalta (“skirt; lap”). Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *kelt-, *kelþǭ, *kilþį̄ (“womb”), from Proto-Indo-European *gelt- (“round body; child”). Cognate with Danish kilte (“to tuck”), Swedish kilta (“to swathe”). Related to English child.

der

I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

A plaid, pleated school uniform skirt sometimes structured as a wraparound, sometimes pleated throughout the entire circumference; also worn by boys in the 19th-century United States.


9/11 attacks
911 (disambiguation)
Federal Communications Commission
National Emergency Number Association
United States

Chosen by the United States in the 1960s in place of the older British 999 number as a better way to avoid accidental calls from push-button telephones. It is officially pronounced "nine-one-one," not "nine-eleven," since "nine-eleven" refers to the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. 9/11 is universally distinguished from 911 and usually refers to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Officially written as 9-1-1 in regulations and materials from the United States National Emergency Number Association and Federal Communications Commission, which is also advocated by some media style guides.

I don't know why they couldn't just keep it as it was! How hard is it to remember 911?
You mean 999...
I mean 999!
That's the American one!
Yeah!

2006 Feb. 3, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 2

When you call 911 in the United States, a local dispatcher usually answers the phone with "911" or "911. What's your emergency?"

The telephone number for emergency services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Liberia, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Anguilla, Palau, and Tonga.

emergency services(Australia) 000(Mongolia) 105(China, Iran) 110(New Zealand) 111(European Union) 112(Japan, South Korea) 119(UK, Ireland) 999


Black and Tan

A member of the RIC British paramilitary force, operating against Irish republicans in the War of Independence 1920/21.

Dúchrónach

member of the RIC British irregular army group


Ulster

/ɔ̈ls.t̪͆əɹ/

Possibly from Old Norse Uladztir, itself from Old Irish Ulaid (“Ulstermen”). More at Ulster.

(politics, proscribed) The six counties that make up Northern Ireland.


Samos

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Σάμος (Sámos).

An island belonging to the Sporades and a city on it, in the Aegean.

Са́мос

an island belonging to the Sporades and a city


Glaswegian

en-adj

Glaswegian (comparative more Glaswegian, superlative most Glaswegian)

more Glaswegian (comparative)
most Glaswegian (superlative)

From Glasgow, modelled after Galwegian (“inhabitant of Galway”), itself modelled after Norwegian (“inhabitant of Norway”). The noun is from the adjective.


Glaswegian

The Glaswegians bore good-humouredly the mishaps which occasionally disrupted the services during the first month.

1961 February, “Talking of Trains: The Glasgow debacle”, in Trains Illustrated, page 66:


Victoria Cross

en-noun

Victoria Cross (plural Victoria Crosses)

"Padre, you should have a row of Victoria Crosses." "No, no, it was my duty."

1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations

The highest military award in the honours system of the United Kingdom, and some members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Its symbol is a form of cross pattée.


St. Patrick's Day

A Roman Catholic holiday commemorating Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland on 17ᵗʰ March.


St. George's Day

The saint's day of Saint George, the patron saint of England, celebrated on April 23ʳᵈ.


Irishman

From Middle English Irisshman, equivalent to Irish + -man.

It is so absurd to advance into the presence of savage royalty after the fashion of an Irishman driving a pig to market, for that is what we looked like, and the idea nearly made me burst out laughing then and there.

1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:


John Bull

How much longer are we English to assist foreign nations in misunderstanding us, by holding up that ridiculous lay-figure of our race known by the style and title of John Bull?

1862 December 27, Charles Dickens, “One Grand Tour Deserves Another”, in All the Year Round, page 378:

In spite of these promptings to reflection, ignorance of his neighbours is the character of the typical John Bull. His is a domineering nature, steady in fight, imperious to command, but neither curious nor quick about the life of others.

1887, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Foreigner At Home”, in Memories and Portraits, New York: Charles Scribner, page 3:

Thatched cottages, manors, old mills, venerable churches and wooded lanes personify a John Bull fancy, neatly tucked into gentle hill folds.

2005, David W. Moore, The Other British Isles, →ISBN, page 183:

Next door to all that noble intention stood a bluff old John Bull of a hotel, Warners, now a pub and backpackers, and next to that, until 1993, a cinema, the last of several that had sprung up around the Square as temples of modernity.

2015, Fiona Farrell, The Villa at the Edge of the Empire, →ISBN, page 52:

(by extension) Something or someone that is stereotypically English.


Orangeman

/ˈɒɹɪnd͡ʒmən/

/ˈɒɹənd͡ʒmən/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Orangeman.wav

A member of the Orange Order, a Protestant society in the United Kingdom (especially Northern Ireland).


RAF

(military, aviation) Initialism of Royal Air Force, the British RAF.

The German Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Faction).


Durham

From Old English Dunholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of the following syllable (holm), said n denasalised and lenited to the oral r, thus dur. Secondly, after a weakening of the vowel quality in the more weakly-stressed syllable holm, this ending was misanalysed as the similar-sounding toponymic suffix, -ham, meaning home or farm.
Doublet of Duresm and Dunelm.

County Durham (a county in the Northeast of England)

Androscoggin County
Androscoggin County#English

A town in Androscoggin County, Maine; named for County Durham, England.


Tower of London

A riverside fortress in London, used as a palace, a prison and now a museum housing the Crown Jewels.


sheading

Unclear. Perhaps from the Norse word skeid, "ship assembly", with each sheading providing men for a warship. Perhaps from a Celtic word meaning "sixth part". Perhaps from the Middle English word, scheding, for an administrative division.

Any of the six administrative districts into which the Isle of Man is divided.


fada

When I read in the RIA Dictionary that the third person singular passive perfect of the verb fo-geib or fo-gaib “has been found”, has been found in the form frith, frioth, fo frith, foríth, and whole lot more including fríth with the fada, I find that friothfully froth-provoking.

1993, John Minahane, The Christian Druids: On the Filid or Philosopher-poets of Ireland, Dublin: Sanas Press (reprinted Dublin: Howth Free Press, 2008 p. 35

The Irish acute accent mark, or fada, is included on Irish proper names and words in the Irish language where required, for example Seán MacBride and Dáil Éireann, except when the fada is not used in a direct quote.

2006, Elizabeth Keane, An Irish Statesman and Revolutionary: The Nationalist and Internationalist Politics of Seán MacBride, London: I. B. Tauris, →ISBN, page vii:

And finally, I have omitted the fadas, or accents, from all Irish words, since they are no help to a North American reader.

2007, Holly Bennett, The Warrior’s Daughter, Custer, Washington: Orca Book Publishers, →ISBN, page ix:

It’s very common in Irish to use a fada on a name, and we had to ensure that a name like Seán, for example should [be possible for] people [to] search [for] with or without the fada on “á”.

2008, Caroline Williams, “The Irish Playography: documenting the Irish Theatrical Repertoire”, in M. Auclair, K. Davis, S. François, editors, Du document à l’utilisateur : Rôles et responsabilités des centres spécialisés dans les arts du spectacle, Brussels: Peter Lang, →ISBN, pages 219–20:

The acute accent as used in Irish orthography to mark a long vowel.


Daventry

A market town in Northamptonshire, England.

West Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire#English

A former district in Northamptonshire, formed in 1974, with its headquarters in the town of Daventry; it was abolished on 1 April 2021 and merged into West Northamptonshire.


Welshman

From Middle English Walishman, equivalent to Welsh + -man.

Coordinate term: Welshwoman

A man who is a native or inhabitant of Wales.


Lewis

Derived from Scottish Gaelic Leòdhas, of uncertain origin; traditionally referred to Old Norse Ljóðahús, from ljóð (“song, poem”) + hús (“house”); but may be related to the Pictish name of the island recorded in Ptolemy's Geography as Λίμνου (Límnou).

Ellipsis of Isle of Lewis; an island in Scotland, United Kingdom.


Midway Islands

A small group of islands in the central Pacific; a US territory.


punt

Borrowed from French pointe or Spanish punto (“point”). Doublet of point.


punt

Borrowed from Irish punt, from Middle English pund.

The Irish pound, used as the unit of currency of Ireland until it was replaced by the euro in 2002.


stannary

From Late Latin stannaria, from Latin stannum (“tin”).

The stannary courts of Devonshire and Cornwall, for the administration of justice among the tinners therein, are also courts of record.

1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:

Of or pertaining to tin mining, especially in Cornwall.


Darlington

/ˈdɑːlɪŋtən/

-ɑː(ɹ)lɪŋtən

From Middle English Dearnington, Derlinton, from Old English Dearthingtun, supposedly “the settlement of Deornoth's people”, from an unclear root + -ing + -tun. The transistor configuration is named for its inventor, Sidney Darlington.

A large market town in County Durham, England.

A unitary authority, the Borough of Darlington, in County Durham which includes the town.

Darlington County
Darlington County#English

A number of places in the United States:

A city, the county seat of Darlington County, South Carolina.


GLA

Greater London Authority
w:Greater London Authority


GLC

Greater London Council
w:Greater London Council

(historical, from 1965 to 1986) Initialism of Greater London Council.


Hastings

The placename in England is derived from the Old English tribal name Hæstingas (“Hæsta's people, the family/followers of Hæsta”), which was later transferred to their settlement.
The family name has two possible sources:
* from the place name
* a patronymic surname derived from the Anglo-Norman personal name Hasten(c), Hastang
The later place names in other countries are named either after people with that family name, or after the town of Hastings in England.

A town in Oswego County, New York, United States, named after Hastings Curtiss.


ceilidh

The noun is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidh (“a pilgrimage; a social call, visit; a sojourn; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”) and Irish célidhe (archaic), céilí (“a social call, visit; a social gathering with dancing, etc., ceilidh”), both from Old Irish célide (“social call, visit”), from céile (“companion, fellow; neighbour”) (ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kēiliyos (“companion; servant”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to settle”)) + -ide.
The plural form ceilidhean is borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cèilidhean.
The verb is derived from the noun.

der

Looking for the Possible Dance [by Alison Louise Kennedy] sets up the 'dance', the ceilidh, as a site of personal and possibly national salvation, but one plagued by insecurities.

2009, Michael Gardiner, “Arcades – The 1980s and 1990s”, in Ian Brown, Alan Raich, editors, Edinburgh Companion to Twentieth-century Scottish Literature, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 188:

'Traditional' British dance is a rather woolly genre; its bounds drawn without much discrimination and inclusive of folk dancing, ceilidh, country dancing and pretty much anything pre-20ᵗʰ century that didn't involve a tutu.

2009, “Performing Arts”, in Andrew Whittaker, editor, Britain: Be Fluent in British Life and Culture (Speak the Culture; 3), London: Thorogood Publishing, →ISBN, page 208:

We asked guests to bring something to share: poems, songs, short stories, music, even juggling—whatever they wanted to perform. Afterwards, we all danced the ceilidh, […]

2015, Jodie Gould, quoting “Clark”, “#4: Create: Expressing and Expanding the Inner Self”, in High: Six Principles for Guilt-free Pleasure and Escape, Center City, Minn.: Hazelden Publishing, →ISBN, Part 2 (The Six Pleasure Principles), page 174:


Westminster Abbey

Houses of Parliament
Houses of Parliament

A large Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, next to the Houses of Parliament in London; the traditional place of coronation and burial of English monarchs.


Westminster Cathedral

the principal Roman Catholic church in England


Palace of Westminster

An extensive building on the north bank of the River Thames in London, housing the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Paleis van Westminster

building in London housing the House of Commons and House of Lords


Westminster

From the abbey of Westminster; from Middle English Westmestre; equivalent to west + minster.

City of Westminster
Westminster (disambiguation)

Grand Traverse County
Grand Traverse County#English

A ghost town in Paradise Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

census-designated place
census-designated place

An unincorporated community and census-designated place, formerly a city in Collin County, Texas.


Brit

1901, either a shortening of Britisher or Briton, or a back-formation from British.

(lexicography) Abbreviation of British English.


Cockney

First attested in Samuel Rowland's 1600 The Letting of Humours Blood in the Head-Vaine as "a Bowe-bell Cockney", from Middle English cokenay (“a spoiled child; a milksop, an effeminate man”), used in the 16th c. by English country folk as a term of disparagement for city dwellers, of uncertain etymology. Possibly from Middle English cokeney (“a small, misshapen egg”), from coken (“cocks'”) + ey (“egg”) or from Cockney and Cocknay, variants of Cockaigne, a mythical land of luxury (first attested in 1305) eventually used as a humorous epithet of London. Compare cocker (“to spoil a child”).

der

(UK) From the East End of London, or London generally.


Cambrian

en-adj

Cambrian (comparative more Cambrian, superlative most Cambrian)

more Cambrian (comparative)
most Cambrian (superlative)

(geology) Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises lower, middle and Furongian epochs from about 542 to 490 million years ago.

cambrià

of or pertaining to the Cambrian geologic period


Cambrian

Synonym of Walian: a Welsh person, a Welshman or Welshwoman.


Sunderland

From sunder + -land (see Wikipedia article for further etymological information).

metropolitan borough
metropolitan borough

A city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear.

An unincorporated community in Calvert County, Maryland.

A town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, named after Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland.

A neighbourhood in north-east Portland, Oregon.

Bennington County
Bennington County#English

A place in the United States:
A town in Bennington County, Vermont.


Pitcairn Islands

A small archipelago and overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the southern Pacific Ocean.


Pitcairnese

(linguistics) A creole spoken in the Pitcairn Islands, formed from an eighteenth-century dialect of English and the Tahitian language.


jackeen

From Jack + -een (“little”), from Jack being a common English name.

A buckeen, a jackeen, a squireen, or any of the intermediate classes.

1840, Fraser's Magazine, volume 22, page 320:

Jackeens loitering about the Dublin theatres.

(Ireland, derogatory) An arrogant lower-class person, especially in Dublin.

To the sellers in the market, to the barmen and barmaids, to the beggars who importuned him for a lob Mr Dedalus told the same tale, that he was an old Corkonian, that he had been trying for thirty years to get rid of his Cork accent up in Dublin and that Peter Pickakafax beside him was his eldest son but that he was only a Dublin jackeen.

1916 December 29, James Joyce, chapter II, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC, page 105:

(Ireland, derogatory, ethnic slur) Synonym of Dubliner, especially (obsolete or historical) an excessively Anglophile one.


Monmouthshire

/ˈmɒn.məθˌʃɪəɹ/

/ˈmɒn.məθ.ʃəɹ/

A maritime traditional county of England and Wales, bordered by to the east by Gloucestershire, to the northeast by Herefordshire, to the north by Brecknockshire, to the west by Glamorganshire and to the south by the Bristol Channel. It was part of England until renamed Gwent and taken into Wales in 1974.

A county and local government principal area of Wales which replaced Gwent, bordered by the Forest of Dean, Herefordshire, Powys, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Newport.


Pembrokeshire

A maritime traditional county of Wales, bordered by Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire.


Carmarthenshire

/kɑː(ɹ)ˈmɑː(ɹ)ðənʃə(ɹ)/

A maritime traditional county of Wales, bordered by Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire.


Flintshire

From Flint + -shire, also once known as the County of Flint.

A maritime traditional county of Wales, bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the northeast by the Dee estuary, to the east by Cheshire and to the south and southwest by Denbighshire. A detached part, Maelor Saesneg, is bounded on the northwest by Denbighshire, on the northeast by Cheshire, and on the south by Shropshire. There is a further small detached part around Marford.


redcoat

The series ran from 1980 until 1988, and won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Series in 1984. It was based on Perry’s experiences working as a Redcoat in Butlins.

A member of the entertainment staff at Butlin's holiday camps in the United Kingdom, who wear red blazers.


Anglesey

Possibly of Old Norse origin, from Ǫngullsey (“hook island”) (ǫngull + ey) or Ǫnglisey (“Ǫngli's island”), the name Ǫngli itself being a variant of Ǫngull and from the former noun. Folk etymology confused the name with that of the Angles. More at Anglesey.

An island and traditional county at the northwestern extremity of north Wales. It is separated from Caernarfonshire on the mainland by a narrow stretch of water called the Menai Strait. The county was merged into Gwynedd in 1974.

Ynys Môn

An island and traditional county at the north western extremity of north Wales


Peterborough

From Peter + borough, referring to Saint Peter the Apostle. Doublet of Petersburg.

A cathedral city and unitary authority in Cambridgeshire, England.


Alcatraz

From Spanish Isla de los Alcatraces (“island of gannets”), named by Juan Manuel de Ayala, an explorer of San Francisco Bay.

bor

San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay#English

Ellipsis of Alcatraz Island, an island in San Francisco Bay, Pacific Ocean, of California, United States, formerly the site of a famous prison.

Αλκατράζ

an island in the San Francisco bay, formerly a famous prison


Barnet

en-proper noun

Barnet (countable and uncountable, plural Barnets)

From Old English bærnet (“place cleared by burning”).

der

A London borough in Greater London, England, United Kingdom.


Cos

From Latin Cos, from Ancient Greek Κῶς (Kôs).

Alternative spelling of Kos, an island in the Aegean, Greece.


Channel

(Europe) Ellipsis of English Channel: A strait in Europe, separating Great Britain from France and connecting the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.


Bank

From Old English banc (“bank, hillock, embankment”), from Proto-Germanic *bankô.

Bank and Monument stations
Bank, Hampshire

Anybody familiar with the London Underground network will know that Bank Tube station is a place to be avoided - if at all possible - on a weekday morning. Located at the very heart of London's 'Square Mile' financial district, some 70,000 people detrain there during the morning peak, to pass through its gatelines and those at the adjoining station at Monument. A further 50,000 passengers squeeze into the station complex at exactly the same time of day, in order to change between the five lines that pass through it.

2019 October 23, Paul Stephen delivers a progress report on London Underground's transformative Bank Station capacity upgrade, Rail, page 68:

London Underground
London Underground#English

(rail transport) A major London Underground station in the City of London, named after the Bank of England and one of the busiest stations on the network (OS grid ref TQ3281)


Down

From Irish dún (“fortress, stronghold”).

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland#English

One of the six traditional counties of Northern Ireland, usually known as County Down.


Candy

A pet form of the female given name Candace or Candice.


Cork

From Irish Corcaigh (“bog, marsh, swamp”).

A county in the Republic of Ireland (County Cork).


Fife

From Scottish Gaelic Fìobha, said to date back to the eponym Fib, one of the seven sons of the legendary Pictish king Cruithne. From Scottish Gaelic fiùbhaidh (“hero, valiant warrior”) from fiù (“worth”).

A council area of Scotland, one of 32 created in 1996.


Fifer

A person who hails from the county of Fife in Scotland.


Hart

* As an English and north/Low German surname, from the noun hart (“stag”).
* As a German surname, variant of Hardt.
* As a Jewish/Yiddish and Dutch surname, from derivatives of *hertā (“heart”), *hard(ī) (“hard”), or *herut (“stag”), or converged senses of them. These senses are also translated from other languages such as French Francoeur, Jolicoeur, Vadeboncoeur, and Native American (Cheyenne) Homa'ehesta, from homa'e (“beaver”) + hesta (“heart”).
* As an Irish surname, from Ó hairt (“descendant of Art”), from the noun art (“bear”). Compare Hartin.

A city, the county seat of Oceana County, Michigan, United States.


Lamb

en-proper noun

Lamb (countable and uncountable, plural Lambs)

1. From Middle English lamb as a nickname.
2. From a short form of Lambert.
3. Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Luain.
4. Possibly also a translation of French agneau.

An islet (small island) in the Firth of Forth, East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT5386).


Lade

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Λάδη (Ládē).

An ancient island off the coast of Miletus; now part of the mainland of Asia Minor.


Mors

An island in the Limfjord, Jutland, Denmark.


Met

(London, rail transport) The London Underground Metropolitan line.

(London, rail transport, historical, 1863–1933) The Metropolitan Railway.

The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its handling of the investigation. […] The Met said it had informed its own Directorate of Professional Standards and a "mandatory referral will be made to the IOPC in relation to the initial contact from the woman's friend".

2024 April 11, Victoria Cook, “Westminster murder inquiry: Woman, 27, named by police”, in bbc.com:

(London, law enforcement) The Metropolitan Police Service of London (MPS).

(US) The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.


Limerick

Limerick (countable and uncountable, plural Limericks)


Mona

Anglicized from Irish and Scottish Gaelic Muadhnait, from Middle Irish múad (“noble”). In northern Europe, where the name is much more popular, Mona is interpreted as a diminutive of Monica or, rarely, of Ramona, and sometimes associated with the title of da Vinci's painting Mona (=madonna) Lisa.
The Arabic and Persian name مُنىٰ (munā) is sometimes Romanised as Mona.


Jersey

From Middle English Gersey, from Anglo-Norman Gersui, further etymology disputed. Probably from Old Norse [Term?], compound of Geirs (“Geirr's”) + ey (“island”). Also occasionally and historically connected to Latin Caesarea, a common name given to locations conquered by the Romans in honor of Caesar (compare French Césarée). The latter theory still bestows the Latin translation of the island.

unk

disputed

The resilience of Jersey’s elite is not new (Jersey is perhaps the only place in Europe that had the same government before, during and after Nazi occupation) but it had never previously been described with such forensic force.

2018, Oliver Bullough, chapter 3, in Moneyland, Profile Books, →ISBN:

A dependency of the United Kingdom; the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel between France and England.


Oval

Alternative form: The Oval

(cricket) A cricket ground in South London.


Hydra

[ˈhaɪ̯d͡ʒɹə]

From Latin Hydra, the mythical serpent, originally from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ (“aquatic”). Doublet of otter.

One of the Saronic Islands in the Aegean Sea.


Poultry

Home of medieval feather dealers and stuffers.

A street in the City of London between Cheapside and Cornhill (at Bank).


Mayo

Derived from Irish Maigh Eo
* (surname): Possibly instead derived from Old French, “Maiheu” from Hebrew, “Matthew”


Aurora

/ʔaʊ̯ˈɾo.ɾɐ/

Aurora (disambiguation)
Gérard de Lairesse
Manuel Quezon

Ultimately from Latin Aurōra. The Philippine placenames were named after First Lady Aurora Quezon, the wife of Pres. Manuel Quezon, the 2nd president of the Philippines.

(historical) Maewo (an island in Vanuatu)

French Polynesia
French Polynesia#English

(historical) Makatea (an island in French Polynesia)


Pico

Derived from Ibaloi piho (“pick mattock”), which inhabitants used to flatten the hilly land.

der+

Meronyms: Balangabang Pico, Bayabas, Cogcoga, Dreamland - Piripin Bato, Km. 4, Km. 5, Shamolog, Toyong — sitios of Pico

A barangay of La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines


Mull

From the noun mull (“crag, promontory”). Known in Old Norse as Myl.

An island, the second largest in the Inner Hebrides, in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland.


Rugby

From earlier Rokeby (rook + -by), from Middle English Rokebi, an alteration (using the Middle English bi (“village, town”), from Old Norse býr (“town, settlement”)) of Old English Rocheberie, possibly from earlier Old English *Hrōceburh (literally “rook-fort, Rookbury”).

der

Las Animas County
Las Animas County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.

Bartholomew County
Bartholomew County#English

An unincorporated community in Haw Creek Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana.

A city, the county seat of Pierce County, North Dakota.

An unincorporated community in Morgan County and Scott County, Tennessee.

An unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia.

A village in Hilltops council area, New South Wales, Australia.


Reading

From Old English Rēadingas, the name of a tribe or clan of early Anglo-Saxon England whose capital was at Reading.

A unitary authority (Reading Borough Council) in Berkshire.


Slough

From Middle English Slo, perhaps related to the noun slough (“marsh”) (referring to the land) or to sloe (referring to bushes).

A borough and unitary authority (Slough Borough Council) in Berkshire.


Orange

Some senses from French Orange, from Latin Aurasiō, from Gaulish. Other senses from the common noun orange, ultimately from Sanskrit नारङ्ग (nāraṅga, “orange tree”).

New Haven County
New Haven County#English

A town in New Haven County, Connecticut; named for William III of England.

A town in Grafton County, New Hampshire; named for the orange ochre found in the area.

Coshocton County
Coshocton County#English

An unincorporated community in Coshocton County, Ohio.

(Ireland, informal) a Loyalist or a member of the Orange Order; someone, usually a Protestant, who advocates keeping Northern Ireland under British control.


Madeira

From Portuguese Madeira, from Portuguese madeira (“wood”), from Latin materia, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (“mother”). Doublet of matter.

An island in the Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous region of Portugal.


Taffy

From Welsh Dafydd (“David”), a common Welsh name. Doublet of David. Or else from Welsh Taf, a river-name in South Wales.

(slang, sometimes derogatory) A Welshman.


Man

From Old Irish Mana, from Proto-Celtic *moniyos, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to tower, stand out”).

And therefore the Bishop and clergy of Man were totally powerless to resist the alteration of doctrinal articles and rites of worship which Earls Edward and Henry, between 1521 and 1594, following the edicts of Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Elizabeth, introduced into the Isle of Man.

1860, William Mackenzie, editor, Legislation by Three of the Thirteen Stanleys, Kings of Man. […], Douglas, Isle of Man: […] [T]he Manx Society, page 191:

The Isle of Man; an island and crown dependency of the United Kingdom in the Irish Sea.


Manhattan

[mn̩ˈhæʔɪ̃n̩]

From the earlier form Manna-hata recorded by Dutch travelers and settlers, from its name in Unami, the local Algonquian language. That name is usually taken to be a compound of Unami mënatay (“island”) or Munsee munahan (compare Abenaki manahan) and another element.
Based on a report by Anthony Heckewelder that the name Manhattan derives from the wooded area whose trees were suitable for making bows, Goddard explains the early forms Manna-hatta(n) and Mannahachtink as spellings of manaháhtaan "place for gathering the wood to make bows" and a related locative form manaháhteenk. compound of Munsee manah- (gather) + -aht (bow) + -aan (place).

Lo, body and soul—this land, / My own Manhattan with spires, and the sparkling and hurrying tides, and the ships, / The varied and ample land, the South and the North in the light, Ohio’s shores and flashing Missouri, / And ever the far-spreading prairies cover’d with grass and corn.

1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:

Ellipsis of Manhattan Island.; An island in New York, United States.


Underground

Although some of the stations on ' The Branch ' have not, as yet, suffered any considerable structural alterations, all are now equipped with the familiar Underground type name boards, and as a result the imposing titles of G.N. days have been ruthlessly curtailed.

1940 October, “Notes and News: The High Barnet Branch”, in Railway Magazine, page 569:

Heathrow has a 28% share of passengers arriving by rail, two-thirds of whom come by the Underground.

2019 October, John Glover, “Heathrow rail expansion”, in Modern Railways, page 71:

(UK, rail transport) The London Underground.


Yap

An island in the Caroline Islands of western Micronesia.

Yap

an island in the Caroline Islands of western Micronesia


Scotch

Contraction of Scottish.
The chess opening is supposedly after its having been played in a correspondence game between Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England.

But Rob was just saying what a shame it was that folk should be shamed nowadays to speak Scotch – or they called it Scots if they did, the split-tongued sourocks!

1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 156:

The Scotch are a hardy bunch.


Scotch

en-noun

Scotch (countable and uncountable, plural Scotches)

Paul has drunk a lot of Scotch.

(uncountable) Whisky distilled in Scotland, especially from malted barley.


Scotch

Behind all his assumed unsocialism there lay a true warm heart; nor could anything be kindlier than the welcome which, whenever they did come to him, any of his Scotch relatives received.

1801, William Hanna, Memoirs of the life and writings of Thomas Chalmers, page 422:

our landlord informed us, with a sort of apologetic tone, that there was a Scotch gentleman to dine with us.


Rum

Alternative form of Rùm, an island of the Inner Hebrides, Highland council area, Scotland, United Kingdom.


York

Etymology tree
Proto-Celtic *eburos
Proto-Brythonic *eβur
Proto-Celtic *-ākos
Proto-Brythonic *-ọg
Proto-Brythonic *Eβrọgbor.
Latin Eborācumder.
Old English Eoforwīċder.
Old Norse Jórvíkbor.
Middle English Ȝork
English York
From Middle English York, Ȝork, from Old Norse Jórk, Jórvík, from Old English Eoforwīċ, from Latin Eborācum, ultimately from Proto-Brythonic *Eβrọg (compare Welsh Efrog, from Old Welsh Caer Ebrauc, from Proto-Brythonic *Eβrọg), from *eburos (“yew”) + *-ākom (positive suffix). Doublet of Évora.

suffix

A city and unitary authority in North Yorkshire, England.

Billington and Langho
Billington and Langho#English

A hamlet in Billington and Langho parish, Ribble Valley district, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD7033).

A royal dukedom traditionally given to the second son of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.


Ulsterman

Any male coming from or living in the northern Irish province of Ulster.


Norn Iron

/ˈnɔːn ˈaɪɹən/

From an exaggerated pronunciation of Northern Ireland in a broad Belfast accent.

(Ireland, endearing slang) Northern Ireland.


Aran

The first thing we noticed going out to Aran was the light. It was coming from the opposite direction and felt strange. To us living in Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland, the world seemed to be turned around a full hundred and eighty degrees

2007, Hugo Hamilton, The Harbor Boys: A Memoir, page 147:

An archipelago off the west coast of Ireland, also called the Arans or the Aran Islands.


Downing Street

Named for its founder, Sir George Downing.

For all his faults and grandstanding, however, Prescott genuinely cared - and his ambitious plans for tram schemes and railway extensions were stymied by lack of support from Downing Street.

2024 January 10, Christian Wolmar, “A time for change? ... just as it was back in issue 262”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 60:

(loosely) Either 10 Downing Street or 11 Downing Street.


Tierra del Fuego

/tɪˌɛːɹə dɛl ˈfweɪɡəʊ/

Ferdinand Magellan
Tierra del Fuego (disambiguation)

Borrowed from Spanish Tierra del Fuego (literally “Land of Fire”), reportedly named so by Ferdinand Magellan after the many fires lit up by the local population.

bor

The archipelago consisting of this island and a number of smaller surrounding islands.


Heard Island and McDonald Islands

An Australian external territory and volcanic group of uninhabited Antarctic islands, between Madagascar and Antarctica.


Northern Ireland

A country in the United Kingdom, situated in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland.

Irlandë Veriore

a country in the United Kingdom, situated in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland


United States minor outlying islands

en-noun

United States minor outlying islands pl (plural only)

A collection of islands and archipelagos, consisting of various dependent territories of the United States, including: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, the Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island.

合衆国領有小離島

がっしゅうこくりょうゆうしょうりとう

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming

American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · United States minor outlying islands · United States Virgin Islands


Britannia

Learned borrowing from Latin Britannia. Doublet of Britain and Brittany.

1740, James Thomson (lyrics), Thomas Arne (music), Rule, Britannia!
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves / Britons never, never shall be slaves

I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident.

1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, pages 703-704:

A female personification of Britain or the United Kingdom.


Swansea

From Middle English Sweynesse (c. 1165), Sueinesea (1190), Swanesey (1322), from Old Norse Sveins ey (literally “Sveinn’s island”).


FAA

Again he bats back and forth the pages of the thick clipped sheaf of close-typed pages that comprise the results of the FAA investigation into Naomi’s fatal encounter with the northwest slope of Mount Dunkelblum.

2007, Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, 4th Estate (2010), page 244:

Federal Aviation Administration
w:Federal Aviation Administration

(aviation) Initialism of Federal Aviation Administration (agency regulating U.S. aviation).

Federal Arbitration Act
w:Federal Arbitration Act

(law) Initialism of Federal Arbitration Act (9 USC 1).

(military, nautical, aviation) Initialism of Fleet Air Arm (carrier-borne air force of the U.K.'s Royal Navy).


Trafalgar Square

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Trafalgar Square.

A square in the City of Westminster; the site of Nelson's Column, National Gallery and the scene of frequent demonstrations.

Admiralty Arch
Battle of Trafalgar
Northumberland Avenue
St Martin's Lane
Trafalgar Square


Old Bailey

Originally "The Bailey", a street running outside the western wall of medieval London; from the word bailey, a Middle English term for the outermost wall or court of a fortification. The courthouse built nearby in the 16th century, alongside old Newgate Prison, took its name from the street.

The Central Criminal Court in this street; the Crown Court in the City of London.


Whitehall

en-proper noun

Whitehall (countable and uncountable, plural Whitehalls)

From Middle English whit (“white”) + halgh (“corner, nook; hall”).

A city and township in Muskegon County, Michigan, United States.

A township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Trempealeau County
Trempealeau County#English

A city, the county seat of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States.


Square Mile

From square mile
* (London): The City's land area is about 1.12 square miles and roughly square in shape.
* (Montreal): Ellipsis of Golden Square Mile.. From having a land area of roughly a mile square.

(London, informal) Synonym of City of London.


The Mall

From the game pall mall, once played there. The American landmark is named after the avenue in London.

A wide avenue in London leading from Trafalgar Square and Admiralty Arch to Buckingham Palace; used as a ceremonial route.


Pall Mall

From pall mall, the name of a game once played there.

An unincorporated community in Fentress County, Tennessee, United States, named after Pall Mall in London.


Ludgate Hill

Despite the claim by the Norman-Welsh Geoffry of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae that Ludgate was so called for having been built by the ancient British king called Lud—a manifestation of the god Nodens—the name is believed by later writers to be derived from "flood gate" or "Fleet gate", from "ludgeat", meaning "back gate" or "postern", or from the Old English term "hlid-geat", meaning "postern" or "swing gate".

Ludgate Hill
Ludgate Hill railway station

It belonged to that incredible trio, St. Paul's, Ludgate Hill and Holborn, so close together that a long train could almost be in all three stations at once. Ludgate Hill has gone into the dusty limbo of forgotten stations, but its subterranean brassy bar long survived in the arches below, [...].

1941 August, C. Hamilton Ellis, “The English Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 356:

A street in the City of London that runs from St Paul's Churchyard, joining Fleet Street at Ludgate Circus. There was once a railway station named Ludgate Hill.


tuppence

en-noun

tuppence (countable and uncountable, plural tuppences)

By surface analysis, two + pence, collective plural of penny.
Same for the definition: "Short for tuppence worth (“one’s opinion”)." however, this idiom is derived from this fact; in Britain it used to cost two pence ("tuppence") to post a letter, usually holding one's opinion.

short for

Milk has gone up to tuppence ha’penny a pint.

In less than four days twenty-three men had paid their tuppences to Henery, who ’ad been made the seckitary.

1909, W. W. Jacobs, “Prize Money,”, in Sailor's Knots:

‘Miss Brindle rich?’ said Aunt Maggie. ‘Bless you, she hasn’t tuppence to rub together.’

1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 11:

(UK, Ireland, informal, dated) Two pence (in pre- or post-decimalisation currency).

(UK, Ireland, idiomatic) Short for tuppence worth (“one’s opinion”).

"Fucksticks!" When some smart-arse bastard gives me my comeuppance / "Fucksticks!" When it’s ages since I’ve seen a lady’s tuppence

2011, Kunt and the Gang, Fucksticks (song)

The lady confided to the nurse helping her up off the examination couch, and told her “He put his hand up me funnel and made me tuppence bleed!”

2012, Richard Johns, Diagnosis of the Soul: The Long Road to the Beginning:

(UK, Ireland, slang, euphemistic, usually childish) The vulva or vagina.


Middle Englander

A white, conservative, middle class member of Middle England.


Anglo-

From New Latin Anglo-, from Late Latin Anglī, Anglus (“Anglo-Saxon(s)”), derived from Latin Anglia (“England”), ultimately from Germanic. Influenced by French anglo-. Displaced native Old English Angel-.

ইঙ্গ-

prefix: relating to England, English, or the English

Automatically generated listed of words beginning with

Anglo-Indian rule brought railroads, but also some of the worst famines in history.

Anglo-German naval rivalry was a contributing factor to the First World War.

The identification of the border between England and Scotland always has been a source of interest to railway travellers. For many years, however, the exact points north of Berwick and Carlisle at which the Anglo-Scottish main lines passed from one country to the other were not defined, but the erection of clear and unmistakable lineside signs has put the matter beyond all doubt.

1950 January, “Crossing the Border”, in Railway Magazine, page 2:

A combining form relating to England or, by extension, the United Kingdom.


Dover

From Old English Dofras, from Latin Dubris, from Brythonic Dubras (“the waters”), from Proto-Celtic *dubros (“water”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰubrós (“dark”), from *dʰewb- (“deep”). Compare Tauber.
The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the town in England.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Screven County, Georgia.

An unincorporated community in Dearborn County, Indiana.

An unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas.

Piscataquis County
Piscataquis County#English

A former town in Piscataquis County, Maine, now Dover-Foxcroft, Maine.

A minor city in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Strafford County
Strafford County#English

A city, the county seat of Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States.

A small town in Craven County, North Carolina.

Tuscarawas County
Tuscarawas County#English

Kingfisher County
Kingfisher County#English

A small town in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma.

An unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Price County, Wisconsin.


IRB

Initialism of investment review board, a committee of business executives who review investment choices, comparing against strategy and opportunity costs.

investment review board

Initialism of internal review board, an internal affairs division of a police department.


IRB

Irish Republican Brotherhood
w:Irish Republican Brotherhood

(historical) Initialism of Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.

Irish Republican Brotherhood

(rugby, historical) Initialism of International Rugby Board, the name used by World Rugby, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, from 1998 to 2014.


Corsica

Borrowed from Latin Corsica, from Ancient Greek Κορσική (Korsikḗ).

administrative region
administrative region

An island, department, and administrative region of France, in the Mediterranean to the north of Sardinia.


English Channel

From being a channel separating England (“English”) from the continent of Europe.

The arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the British Isles from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

Engelse Kanaal

The part of the Atlantic Ocean between Great Britain and France

ઇંગ્લીશ ખાડી

iṅglīś khāḍī


Cheapside

From Middle English cheap (“market”). Cheapside, Chipping, and cheap all reflect ancestry from Old English ceapian, concerning trading in markets.

A street, and surrounding district, in the City of London; links Newgate Street, Cornhill, Threadneedle Street, Poultry and Lombard Street (and others).

Haldimand County
Haldimand County#English

A community of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.

A ghost town in Gonzales County, Texas, United States.

Northampton County
Northampton County#English

An unincorporated community in Northampton County, Virginia, United States.


Sumatra

/suːˈmɑːtɹə/

From Indonesian Sumatera, from Sanskrit समुद्र (samudra, “sea”). Mentioned in the 11th century in Sanskrit as समुद्रभूमि (samudrabhūmi, “land of Sumatra”), gradually replacing the earlier सुवर्णद्वीप (suvarṇadvīpa).

In the Straits of Malacca one encounters a squall every night; there they are known by the name of Sumatras, crossing as they do from the island bearing that name.

1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 119:

(Singapore, formerly) A squall or violent rainstorm coming from the south.


Threadneedle Street

Corruption of "three needle", from the arms of the Needle-makers' Company. Influenced by threading a needle.

A street in London, running from Poultry and Lombard Street to Bishopsgate; the site of the Bank of England.


Staten Island

[ˈst̪æɾ̪̥ᵊn ˈaɪ̯ɫ̪ɛ̝̈nd̪]

[ˈst̪æʔᵊn ˈaɪ̯ɫ̪ɛ̝̈nd̪]

[ˌst̪æt̪ⁿn̩ˈaɪ̯ɫ̪n̩(ᵈ)]

[ˌst̪æʔn̩ˈaɪ̯ʟn̩(ᵈ)]

Borrowed from Dutch Stateneiland (obsolete spelling Staaten Eylandt), from Staten-Generaal (“States General of the Netherlands”) + eiland (“island”).

A borough and island in New York City, New York, United States, one of five, situated south-southwest of Manhattan. It is coterminous with Richmond County.

Staten Island
States General of the Netherlands


North Island

An island, the northernmost of the two major islands making up New Zealand.

Ishulli i Veriut

one of the two major islands making up New Zealand


South Island

An island, the southern of the two major islands making up New Zealand.


Haligonian

(England) Of, from, or pertaining to the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

halifaksa

of, from, or pertaining to the town of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England


Haligonian

(England) A native or inhabitant of Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.