to ask if you know of any 'urban myths' that are actually true?

[manicinsomniac]

a colleague told me the other day that her husband had been to school with a brother and sister called Everard and Ophelia Dick. I was very dismissive, told her I'd heard that story several times before, that it was an urban myth and possibly on snopes.com.

Luckily I stopped short of saying that the story probably had racist undertones.

But I've just googled them and they're well documented in the same town that her husband is from. So the chances are he's right. I'm very and will have to tell her so in the morning.

I get so used to these name tales being false and offensive that I didn't think there was any way it was going to be true.

Does anybody know if any of the others are true?

I used to iase with a lady at the insurance company when I managed the work fleet cars - her name was Summa Loving!

My consultant when I had dc3 was called Mr Darling. Dh works with a lady whose married name is now Hollie Woods.

The 70% heat loss through the head is a myth, which happened because of the way heat loss was recorded in some soldiers (I think).

Can't believe people aren't more freaked out by my spider story!

I also remember Doolittle and Dalley the firm of estate agents/solicitors in Kidderminster, used to make us chuckle every time when we were buying our first house in that area. It's many years since we lived there though so I wonder if they are still in business? ( They shouldn't be if they've lived up to their name!)

Yes, there was a company who boarded up empty buildings where I grew up called 'Bodgit and Scarper.'

I like to think that somewhere a Mr/Ms Bodgit and a Mr/Ms Scarper met and decided to set up a construction firm, rather than it being a marketing ploy. (Well it worked, I still remember it after 25 years)

The real Ben Dover was in my brother's class at primary school.

I met a guy called John Thomas.

I've always enjoyed these announcements, too

A group of us travelling to Brittany on the Portsmouth-St Malo ferry managed to get the nice French lady on the customer service desk to request that Ms Gloria Sboobs come to reception as soon as possible.

Happy days.

My dad met a south american lady called Usnavy, she was named after a boat (US Navy!)

I used to work with an American called Sterling Pratt

There's a British urologist with the surname "Burns-Cox".

I knew a Gay Dyke. It was her married name.

I've also met Bluebell Woods and Tom Bowler.

One of the trainers at my gym is called Beverly Hills.

I have come across a Doctor A. Choo and a psychiatrist named Dr. Freaker.

Knew someone who was a personnel assistant called Richard Head, a presbyterian minister's son called James (never Jimmy) Riddall, and a vicar called Shufflebotham (yes, pronounced shufflebottom) who was known as Shuff.

My uncle is Ivor John Thomas. My gran naively let her two much younger brothers choose his names!

I went to school with Helen Fury.

Near where I live is a GP surgery, run by a Dr. Dick and Dr. Seax.

Two experts gave a lecture together at a university where I once was. Their surnames are Duck and Pond. The lecture was advertised on notice boards and people assumed it was a joke.

Ivor John Thomas!

I know a woman who called her son William. Sur name Byrne. And the weird thing is that it did occur to her "willy burn" before she went ahead and called him William Byrne. But she said they decided that nobody else would be analysing it as closely as they had, and so it was "ok".

hmm.

I used to play badminton with Ivor Woolcock......

I went to school with a Richard Head - obviously a few of them about. Also brother and sister Theresa and Darren Ingall - Tingle and Dingle.

My mum claims she went to school with twins Nick and Dick Pick.

I also know a Cherry Pye (married name) and a Holly Day (birth name)

I knew a Rose who married Mr Plant, and of a May who married Mr Day. Some of the names on this thread like Ivor wouldn't be that funny in Ireland as 'R' is heavily pronounced at the end of words so doesn't really sound like 'I've a'. A person learning English mightn't realise the pronunciation by UK English speakers.