That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…

Today The Independent visits Dorset where, in among all the ‘piddles’ that have discreetly been converted to ‘puddles’ is, apparently, this gem. What is it with this county and its lavatorial associations?

Shitterton: The village that dare not speak its name

I think I’m in Shitterton. But I’m not sure. Satellite navigation technology, while adept at guiding me round complex urban one-way systems, is less than helpful in locating one of the rudest place names in the country; it offered me a choice of going either to Shillington in Bedfordshire, or Shutta in Cornwall. But no sign of Shitterton.

After going back to basics and consulting a map, I head into the Dorset village of Bere Regis, emerge at the other side and arrive at a cul-de-sac with a wooden signpost bereft of its nameplate. If this is indeed Shitterton, someone either loved the name so much that they felt the need to swipe a memento, or they were so concerned about its power to corrupt innocent minds that they prised it off and slung it into a nearby hedge.

I wind down the window and call out to a passer-by: “Is this place called, er…?” My enquiry feels impertinent, mainly because I was brought up never to say “shit” to strangers. But they’re clearly used to timid visitors, here. “Yes, yes, this is Shitterton,” comes the boisterous reply. Read full story here…

And, having read this, you can be puerile for a bit longer here:

What’s in a name? Britain’s rudest places >>