Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2021 July 24

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July 24

Dunmurderin'

In Transformers: Generation 2 (comics), after Megatron has come back and killed Bludgeon, Starscream is showing thinking to himself (if I remember correctly):

And where does that leave me? With the things I've done, I doubt it means a pat in the back and a sign saying "Dunmurderin'"!

Now what does that last word "Dunmurderin'" exactly mean? JIP | Talk 00:43, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

It's a play on the stereotypical house name "Dunroamin'" (meaning "Done [i.e. finished with] roaming"), "Dunmurderin'" would be an appropriate house name for someone who had settled down and stopped murdering. DuncanHill (talk) 00:50, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

"Done murdering". Clarityfiend (talk) 05:24, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

It's a play on placenames prefixed with Dun.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:06, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Dunhomeofficin'? Martinevans123 (talk) 09:22, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

A robber might settle in Dunrobin.  --Lambiam 14:03, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

A kid swearing off treats would be Dunsmores. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 15:58, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Retired Kiwi Wikipedian? Dunedin. Martinevans123 (talk) 16:08, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Retired and moved to Florida. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:47, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Retired from tree surgery and moved to Scotland. Retired from the turkey farm to Dungoblyn. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:10, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Just to note that genuine place names with the prefix "Dun-" come from the Scottish Gaelic Dùn, meanin a fort or fortified hill. So Dunbarton is "Fort of the Britons" and Dunblane might be "Fort of Blane". Also Dundee, Dunfermline, Dunkeld and probably several others.

Having an amusing (at least to the owner) house name is a bit of a British foible; besides "Dunroaming", similar "Dun" pun-names include "Dunbyus", "Dun It", "Dunowen", [1] "Dun Grocklin", "Dun Sailing" "Dun Struggling" and "Dunitall". [2] Alansplodge (talk) 20:23, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

DunBrexitin'? Martinevans123 (talk) 20:30, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Slightly related: while wandering around rural Hampshire last week, I saw a house named "Thistle Dhu", the second part punning by referencing the Gaelic word for "black". Hassocks5489 (Floreat Hova!) 09:50, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

Hah. I hope the property wasn't "Llareggub". Martinevans123 (talk) 10:41, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

This kind of makes sense, as even though the comic itself is American, it was written by Simon Furman, who is British. JIP | Talk 20:43, 24 July 2021 (UTC)

Dun fleecin', Dunfacin'. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:06, 24 July 2021 (UTC)