CHEDDZOY, Somerset
Old English name cedd
Both Romans and Saxons here
Chedd meaning island
Category Archives: Agriculture
Unusual U.K. place names 80. – Withycombe
WITHYCOMBE, Somerset
An iron-age hill fort
Dumbledon Druid circle
Known for its Grey Mare\
Note: Grey mare is subject of a folk song which starts out as Tom Pearse Tom Pearse lend u your grey mare…… Withycombe may be confused with Widdecombe which is in Devon.
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Unusual U.K. place names 78. – Babcary
BABCARY, Somersetshire
Site of Wimble Toot
Glastonbury Zodiac
Bronze-age round barrow
Note: Toot derived from Old English tot meaning, a lookout point.
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Unusual U.K. place names 77. – Curry Rivel
CURRY RIVEL, Somersetshire
Site of Roman house
Name comes from Celtic crwy
meaning boundary
Note: Rivel from its landlord Sir Richard Revel
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Obscure words explained 82 – abracadabra
I have written three versions of this word because it is very complicated to explain in 17 syllables.
ABRACADABRA – Ab’r achad ab’ra (Aramaic and/or Arabic origin
1.Concerning the bull
it’s the one and only one
a name for the sun
2. Used by magicians
to perform their magic tricks
a magical spell
3. A magical spell
inscribed on an amulet
to cure deadly ills
For those readers with a mind to do so, I hope you ask yourself the question: is there such a thing as magic? Sir James George Frazer in his book the Golden Bough thought so.
He explained that contagious and homeopathic magic (both generally referred to as sympathetic magic) were valid and practiced throughout the world in one form or another. This magic (these magics) basically formed the basis of our religions.
I have always wanted to throw the cat among the pigeons Ah yes! it’s a full moon.
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Obscure words explained 81. – cavil
CAVIL
Blow against the fur*
he cavils at all I say
only to find fault
Note: To blow against the fur comes from the practice of furriers to blow against a pelt to find imperfections.
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Unusual U.K. place names 63. -Leigh de la Mere
LEIGH de la MERE (St. Margaret), Wiltshire
King Alfred camped here
Attacked Danes at Eddington
Saxon king’s palace
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Unusual U.K. place names 62. – Petty France
PETTY FRANCE, Gloucestershire
Not remrkable
not much history to tell
not written, that is.
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Obscure words explained 84. – toponym
Unusual U.K. place names 63. – Stow on the Wold
STOW on the WOLD, Gloucestershire
\Where the wind blows cold
Town’s patron was St. Edward
\Once called Edwardstow
Fa - the Green Dragon 
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