" Of course you'll find Paradise in Kentucky, but it's only one of the many unusual place names in the Commonwealth. Meeting these names for the first time, visitors and residents alike assume that some clever or funny stories lie behind them. So they ask, how did Elkhorn Creek get its name? Were the roads to Red River really Hell each way? Did bugs really tussle in Monroe County? Why was everyone whooping for Larry? To be hospitable and helpful, Kentuckians have come up with convincing—if not always truthful—answers to these and other questions about how places got their names. Some of these stories were clearly not intended to be believed, though a few of them have been anyway. From Red Hot to Monkey's Eyebrow presents some of the classic accounts of Kentucky's oddest place names. Complete with map, index, and humorous drawings by Linda Boileau, this handy guide is a delight.

Darrel Bigham examines these towns and villages from the 1790s, when the first settlements appeared, to the 1920s, when the modern pattern of life associated with automobiles, economic upheaval, and mass culture emerged.

Author studies the socioeconomic characteristics of the historic Kentucky river hamlet: Rabbit Hash.

"A town called Hell, which freezes over. A mollusk raised to college mascot. A brand of bubble gum named for a musical instrument. Wegryn visits all these examples and more in his humorous investigation of naming practices. For a popular overview of the field, Funny Thing About Names delivers its message with wit and style."--Christine De Vinne, American Name Society President. Ask yourself this... What is the most popular street name? Who was Benedict Arnold's infamous brother? What is the oldest sports team nickname? What famous university once was named Chatholepistemaid? Why did Boris Karloff change his name? Why didn't Arnold Schwarzenegger? Funny Thing About Names answers these questions and many more as it delves into the wide world of names. Bases upon ten years of research, this amusing account examines how and why we label people, places and businesses in America. It will delight the trivia buff, intrigue the reader interested in onomastics (the study of names), and put a smile on both.