Can someone please tell me...

[pez]

Why are some British pubs named after body parts of (usually) someone royal (King's Head, Queen'sArms)?

I'm looking at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub_name_origins, but it doesn't say much about the body parts...

(Before anyone asks, whilst there are pubs called The Cock (as in the chicken), unfortunately I haven't seen any that's called the King's Cock - or worse, the Queen's Cock XD)

Comments

[ex-semishade366.livejournal.com]

Don't know how accurate it is but: royal pub names (http://www.chesterfieldcamra.org.uk/archives/pnas/2003.html)

Arms is probably a military or heraldic reference, rather than a reference to the queen's body parts. And cock fighting (with birds) used to be a popular tavern sport so that may have some bearing on that one.

[vicky-guu-sama.livejournal.com]

how about the King and the Cock?

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

XD Thanks!

cock fighting (with birds)

I do love how you specified it was with birds, and not some other cocks... XD!

[quatorze.livejournal.com]

I don't know how truthful this might be, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that at least in some cases the place might actually have been first, and only later got a name. It would go roughly like this: an unnamed pub asks a traveling artist to paint them a colorful sign (something to draw attention and set them apart), and the artist then just comes up with something... say, a pig. The locals see the sign, see that the pig is perhaps big and fat and rather reddish in color, start referring to the pub as "The Red Hog", and there you are - the pub has a name!

(and I imagine that visual references to royalty would be so easily recognizable that they would be attractive topics for such artists - I don't think every pub with something royal in its name has had something to do with royalty!) ^_^

[ex-semishade366.livejournal.com]

With the company I keep on line, I thought I probably should.^^

[sinistera.livejournal.com]

I love the British. ♥ But I await for King's Manboob.

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

*IS KILLED DED*

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

That makes sense! I should look it up. ^^ Thanks!!