PLACE SEARCH Enter a community name: Country: <All> Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia 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 Advanced search

Place names sometimes leave a mark not only on the map, but on the language. A few classic examples (we welcome more): Badminton - The game was named for Badminton House, in Badminton Park, between Great Badminton and Little Badminton. Bakewell pudding - Also known as Bakewell tart, this dessert typically includes puff pastry, preserves, eggs, sugar, butter and flavoring such as almond extract. Banff-baillies - Small clouds. Cheddar - The cheese was named for the region of Somerset where it was produced. Cheshire cheese was of course made in the county of the same name. Dundee marmalade - James Keiller began making the preserves here in the 18th century. Edinburgh fog - A rich dessert, usually made with double cream, sugar, biscuits, vanilla essence and almonds. Some recipes call for scotch whisky or a liqueur such as Drambuie. Epsom salts - The salt (actually magnesium sulfate), is named for the location of a mineral spring in Surrey. Eton collar and Eton jacket - The stiff collar and short jacket were named for the student garb at the famous boys' school, Eton College. Glasgow kiss - A head butt. Hackney carriage - The term originally meant a carriage for hire, in reference to the town where many of Londond's horses were kept and bred. Hail a Hackney carriage today and you'll get a taxi. London fog - More than a raincoat. The thick, choking atmosphere that characterized the city until passage of the Clean-Air Acts in the mid-20th century killed many Londoners. Oxford cloth - A heavy cotton fabric, often used for shirts. Oxfords - Low shoes that are laced or tied. Portland cement - Widely used cement, so-named because it resembled Portland stone. Rugby - The game was named for the Rugby school, which is in the town of the same name. Fanatics of the sport are sometimes called "rugger buggers." Welsh rabbit - Cheese, with milk, Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings, spread on buttered toast. Worcestershire sauce - The "burger booster" from the county long known for its vinegar works. Sources include:   Brewer's Britain & Ireland, John Ayto and Ian Crofton   The Caithness Dictionary, Iain Sutherland   The Complete Patter, Michael Munro   Spik o the Place, Norman Harper