Location Lingo

The Great British Collection of Nicknames for Places. The English Project has teamed up with Ordnance Survey to compile an ‘Alternative Gazetteer’ of Britain. It’s what we call Location Lingo.

As from English Language Day 2010 (Wednesday 13 October),  we have been receiving your nicknames and pet names for places and landmarks. They have joined our massive list of Location Lingo from all over the country.

What are we looking for?

Location Lingo can cover names for all kinds of locations. For example:

  • neighbourhoods,
  • towns,
  • villages,
  • parks
  • buildings
  • landmarks in the town or countryside.

Location Lingo can even describe road-junctions or roundabouts on a road or motorway.

We’re open to all kinds of contribution. They can be well-known, popular nicknames or private pet names used amongst a few friends. They can be old or recently-coined. And they could be especially useful for the Emergency Services who are often puzzled when people phone in with reports of incidents using a nickname to describe the location. Our list of Location Lingo will help to solve such problems.

The Rules

To be classified as Location Lingo by the English Project and Ordnance Survey a nickname or pet name for a place in Great Britain:

  1. must not be an official name and does not appear as a name on the maps in the map viewer
  2. must have been in regular and recognisable use amongst a group of three or more people for at least a month
  3. must not have been devised for this English Project Activity.

As well as the nickname or pet name we are also interested in the story behind the name. Why did a place acquire that nickname? If you know, then tell us.

Latest Location Lingo

See all the Location Lingo.

Location Lingo map