DAILY DIRT: There’s a town in France that is (obviously) the butt of many jokes

August 20, 2024 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024

I think my ideal destination would be one of the French towns we have listed. Well, for the exception of Lucifer, France … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,035 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It’s been awhile since we had some fun with the names of towns, but today we’re back, bay-bee!

I received an email a few days ago asking if we were ever going to have another list of funny names of towns and cities. Well, ask and ye shall receive.

Apparently to fuel the fire, this writer also offered a few he had recently come across, including Hot Coffee, Miss., Intercourse, Pa., and Rottenegg, Austria. I thanked him for the note, but told him we had already featured Intercourse, but Hot Coffee was anew one to me. Let’s see if it makes our U.S. list below

Best foreign names

1. Anus, France:The town’s name is actually pronounced without the final “s,” but come on … we all know that “s” is there for a reason. Due to its “unusual” name, road signs in Anus are often stolen. Well, duh.
2. Weener, Germany: I read that Weener is a popular destination for cycle enthusiasts. Hot dog!
3. Bitche, France: Locals living in this town are known as Bitchois and Bitchoises. Seriously.
4. Bra, Italy: Go ahead, insert your own joke here.
5. Rottenegg, Austria: Ironically, the town is apparently famous for its fresh-smelling air.
6. Monster, The Netherlands: Centuries ago, people came to Monster to be healed of the “falling sickness”.
7. Reigny, France: Despite its name, this French town’s annual rainfall is below average.
8. Boring, Denmark: The area around this town is anything but its namesake. In recent years, the likes of Madonna, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones have performed there.
9. Lucifer, France: The hell with this place.
10. Nasty, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: Right next to Nasty is another town titled Ugley. Yes, I’m serious.

Best U.S. names

1. Pee Pee, Ohio: Can you imagine having to tell someone you’re from … Pee Pee?
2. Chicken, Alaska: When the town was incorporated in 1902, someone suggested calling it Ptarmigan, which was the name of a bird found in the area that looks like a chicken. Trouble was, no one knew how to spell Ptarmigan, so they used Chicken instead.
3. Satan’s Kingdom, Mass.: Maybe after visiting here, you can hop on a plane to Lucifer, France (see above).
4. Correct, Ind.:Don’t even try to win an argument with anyone from Correct; they’ll never accept being in the wrong.
5. Turkey Scratch, Ark.: Not even the residents how this name came into being.
6. Scratch Ankle, Ala.: Apparently, mosquitoes and other similar insects are a problem in Scratch Ankle. Hence, the name. Yes, I’m serious about this, too.
7. Poverty, Ky.: If ever a name was fitting for a state.
8. Breeding, Ky.: There’s a sign one of the town’s buildings that reads “Enjoy Breeding”.
9. Bacon Level, Ala.: The town is home to the Bacon Level Baptist Church, Slick Lizard Farm and Possum Bend Feed, Seed and Supply.
10. Yum Yum, Tenn.: Yum Yum was a type of candy that was popular in the 19th century. When then-Sen. Kenneth McKellas asked the town’s storekeeper what to name the town, he stated that Yum Yum would be a good choice.

2. Did you know (Part 97)

That there are more people residing in the Tokyo metro area (38.2 million) than live in the entire country of Australia (24.6 million). For the record, Australia is more than 500 times larger than the Tokyo metro area.

That there are more lakes in Canada than the rest of the world combined.

That the average New Yorker drinks seven times more coffee than Americans outside Gotham City.

That Jon Heyman of the MLB Network predicts these are the top five landing spots for free agent-to-be Juan Soto this winter: 1. Yankees, 2. Mets, 3. Dodgers, 4. Giants, 5. Blue Jays. (Shocker.)

That the NBA highest scoring average by decades are: