As promised, almost as unrhymable as orange. Please PM your entries to me.

I do not do well with these hard to rhyme places, but I'll try.

She's being easy on us; the full name of LA is El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciúncula. No fooling - you can look it up!

Just like Rhode Island is actually "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Several years ago there was a big uproar because several minority groups wanted to remove "plantations" because of its association with slavery. They completely disregarded that the term referred to cultivated areas and not to the practice of slavery, although that later became tangled with it.

Found this, googling around:
"Porciuncula" is the Spanish translation of the Italian "Porziuncola," which does mean "little portion."

However, The Porziuncola is a tiny chapel located inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Saint Mary or Holy Mary of the Angels) in Italy (and predating the Basilica by hundreds of years), where tradition says that the Franciscan Order was founded. As the Franciscans built the California mission system, it's almost certain that the original name for the Los Angeles River (El Río de Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Ángeles de Porciúncula), and later the puebla, were named after the Franciscan chapel, and not simply a small piece of land

Oh. I thought it was from "porcine," related to hogs, and "cula," the feminine of "culo," thus meaning "sow's butt."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Geoff,

Four in from three folks so far. Keep'm comin'.

quote:

Originally posted by bethree5:
Keep'm comin'.

Around here they arrest women who do that.

Mine's finally in. This one was hard!

Depends on how you pronounce it. Folks from EYE-O-Way call Oregon Aura-Gone and Los Angeles Loss Angeleez. Now, doesn't that make it easier?

We've got a pretty good turnout-- a small handful have produced 8 limericks!

LAST CALL! Post will go up in a day or two.

I got one in! Or I stepped in it, or something...

Just found this: http://articles.latimes.com/20...e-0626-then-20110626

Great find, Geoff! Now I don't feel so bad having trouble with it.

I remember Sam Yorty, which shows how old I am. He was mayor when Jack Webb began the TV series, "Dragnet." Bob Clampett parodied Dragnet on his puppet sow, "Time for Beany," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beany_and_Cecil with a dog character called "Joe Fido," whose office was "hindquarters." I have that old puppet show to thank for my love of wordplay.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Great find, Geoff! Now I don't feel so bad having trouble with it.

I seem to remember, when I lived in Michigan for a few yrs, that there were a number of French place-names pronounced in a strange Anglicized way. Of course I can't find a single one in wiki. I guess the most obvious ones would be Detroit and Grosse Pointe.