I Have to Laugh

Sometimes words don't mean what you think they mean. From Der Speigel, here's the lede:

The EU's trademarks authority has permitted a German firm to brew beer and produce clothing under the name "Fucking Hell". It may be an expletive in English, but in German it could refer to a light ale --Hell -- from the Austrian town of Fucking. Whether it will be brewed there is another question.

The closing paragraphs offer some other titillating place names, too.

It is likely to heighten Fucking's fame, which is something Meindl, the town's mayor, isn't happy about, given the trouble the name has caused it over the years. "Twelve or 13 town signs have been stolen. We've taken to fixing them with concrete, welding and rivets."

The Bavarian towns of Kissing and Petting have the same problem, as does the eastern German town of Pissing. But so far, there are no plans to name a beer after them.

I wonder what location names as pronounced in English are obscenities in other languages...