BajaNomad - What's in a name?

What's in a name?

Fatboy - 5-23-2008 at 09:38 PM

Speaking very, very little spanish I wonder what is the translation of the many place names around Baja.

While I understand some are names of people such as Vizcaino(I believe)...

And many where named by the padres and are based on figures in their religion which would included the many place names with saint (Santa/Santo) in them what about San?.

Just what does Malarrimo mean? Bad something?

What does Varadero mean?

El Crucero?

El Huerfanito?

Ensenada?

I understand that there are millions of places and names, but just throw some out there...

Please put the complete translation for people like me that have a hard enough time with just english(never mind a second language!) for example Todas (all) Santos (Saints)

Finally why would a town in California have a city called Los Banos?

Thanks!!!!!!

Von - 5-23-2008 at 09:59 PM

Varadero=name of a beach town in Mexico

El crucero= the intersection

El Huerfanito=the little orphan

Ensenada=A beach surrounded by mountains

woody with a view - 5-24-2008 at 06:01 AM

Quote:

Finally why would a town in California have a city called Los Banos?

frankly, i'm surprised there arern't more places called toilet, armpit, nasal harvest, chiite hole, etc... :light:

Bob and Susan - 5-24-2008 at 06:06 AM

los angeles???
new york???
:lol:

Sh-t Creek

Pompano - 5-24-2008 at 07:30 AM

Sh-t Creek, County Clare, Ireland. A surfer destination with fairly consistent action.

Makes one wonder what may be upstream, though.

I know a fellow who owned a company called Big Valley. He tried to introduce the company product to China, but was told to change the brand name. Translated in that area's dialect, Big Valley was slang for 'crack of the butt.'

I can see those billboards now..

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Pompano]

- 0 0 chitCreek.jpg - 24kB

BMG - 5-24-2008 at 07:57 AM

A few more odd names:

Blue Ball, Pennsylvania

Booger Mountain, North Carolina

Boring, Maryland

Bumpass, Virginia

Buttzville, New Jersey

Ding Dong, Texas

Greasy Corner, Arkansas

Hellhole Bay, South Carolina

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Knockemstiff, Ohio

Looneyville, Texas (aka Crawford)

Monkey Run, Arkansas

OK, Kentucky

Pee Pee, Ohio

Spread Eagle, Wisconsin

Toad Suck, Arkansas

shari - 5-24-2008 at 08:06 AM

Interesting topic indeed...Varadero is a place where things wash up on the beach....usually good beach combing there. I think this would be a great project for someone....maybe David K to find out and list the meaning of towns names or what they were named after....for example Ensenada means cove...Abreojos means open eyes, named for the dangerous rocks around there...La Bocana means mouth of an estero usually, Guerrero Negro, named after a spanish ship Black warrior...Asuncion is named after a virgin...also many places named after saints like the missions have fiestas on that particular Saint's Day...our fiestas are on the day of the Asension on Aug.15.

Don Alley - 5-24-2008 at 08:35 AM

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Don Alley]

Quote:

Originally posted by BMG
A few more odd names:

Blue Ball, Pennsylvania

Booger Mountain, North Carolina

Boring, Maryland

Bumpass, Virginia

Buttzville, New Jersey

Ding Dong, Texas

Greasy Corner, Arkansas

Hellhole Bay, South Carolina

Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Knockemstiff, Ohio

Looneyville, Texas (aka Crawford)

Monkey Run, Arkansas

OK, Kentucky

Pee Pee, Ohio

Spread Eagle, Wisconsin

Toad Suck, Arkansas

add town in Idaho:

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Don Alley]

mapdata.jpg - 21kB

Pompano - 5-24-2008 at 08:52 AM

I once asked a bartender at Malarrimo's who Malarrimo was...he said it was not a he, but was a bad place..dangerous. Maybe it named after the sandbar which wrecked the Black Warrior (Guerrero Negro)?

p.s. on second thought I think it was a bad place for the gray whales back then...

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Pompano]

Oso - 5-24-2008 at 08:53 AM

Can't find malarrimo in my Larouse, but the verb arrimar means to approach, get close to, next to etc. So my best guess would be "Bad Landing", which would fit the physical conditions there.

In my previous job I spent many years driving all over North Carolina through many small towns. My favorite trio, in this order, are: Erect, Whynot and Climax. Other faves are Lizard Lick and Aho. The latter was once explained by Charles Kuralt. It seems the founding fathers, gathered at a country store to pick a name, just couldn't agree. So they decided to be silent until the very next thing anyone said would be the name of the town. After awhile one gentleman stood, stretched and yawned and without thinking of an actual word, made that sound.

I believe there is also an Athole, CA. which makes me wonder if the namer had a lisp.

(Maybe it was spelled Athol)

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Oso]

Pompano - 5-24-2008 at 08:57 AM

Oso...we have almost the same little towns Up North. About 25 miles away from 'Fertile' you will find 'Climax.'

Then..hunting in northern Saskatchewan always makes me grin when we drive through...'Welcome to Tisdale, Land of Rape and Honey.'

'Rape' is a seed crop.

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by Pompano]

Zzyzx, a hot spring near Baker CA.

vgabndo - 5-24-2008 at 01:10 PM

The resort was built by a squatter. Don't know where the name came from, but it figures to show up last in any alphabetical listing of hot springs! :lol:

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by vgabndo]

[Edited on 5-24-2008 by vgabndo]

Los Banos

MrBillM - 5-24-2008 at 02:03 PM

Los Banos (with or without the tilde) doesn't really qualify as an ODD name since it means literally "The Baths". Strictly speaking, a "Bathroom" would be a place that contained a Bath. Referring to the place where the toilet is located as a "Bathroom" is simply a polite convenience.

Fatboy - 5-24-2008 at 08:15 PM

Thanks to everyone that answered the question...maybe next time I will ask about USA place names and I will get some good Mexican ones... :lol:

MrBillM - while I did not say it was a odd name but with my limited knowledge of Spanish it didn't make sense. Your explanation clears it up...THANKS!!!

OSO and Pompano- I did read in one of the books that is was Bad something and Bad Landing sounds good!

Von and Shari...THANKS!!! El Crucero always looks intriguing to me for some wierd reason...and now I am wondering about the word Varadero can anyone expand on what was said here?

In my Baja Atlas it says Varadero Malarrimo???

[Edited on 5-25-2008 by Fatboy]

Natalie Ann - 5-24-2008 at 08:58 PM

I have always been partial to the Straits of Salsipuedes.... leave if you can.

Nena

Bruce R Leech - 5-25-2008 at 09:30 AM

there is a street named Salsipuedes here in Ensenada and it is in a kind of bad area. :lol:

Fatboy - 5-25-2008 at 08:22 PM

Salsipuedes? Is it all one word? In some Erle Gardner books he spells it with a couple of hypens or breaks, any idea why?

bacquito - 5-26-2008 at 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fatboy
Salsipuedes? Is it all one word? In some Erle Gardner books he spells it with a couple of hypens or breaks, any idea why?

Salsipuedes means "leave if you can". I have not seen it hyphenated. Remember when Chevy introduced "Nova" to Latin America?

I once worked for Rohm and Haas and they tried to market a herbicide called Tok to Japan. It was not accepted because Tok translated to something to do with excrement.

Oso - 5-26-2008 at 08:39 AM

He must have thought it clarified the meaning. There is also a Salsipuedes Street in Santa Barbara (not far from Indio Muerto Street). I've always interpreted it as "Get out if you can" and figured the origin was the same as Atascadero- "Place to get stuck"- where they have the annual "Mudhole Follies".

Somewhere in Jalisco, I once passed a small town called "La Mojonera"- The Turd Pile. Must have been a lovely place.