Costco to change gas station plans after Montgomery vote (Monkey County Maryland)

Washington Examiner ^ | 7/24/2012

[visualops]

Bethesda used to be a wonderful town. We’d ride our bikes and go for ice cream or penny candy at the corner store. I think it was a great place to grow up. Of course, at that time, if you went out River Road past 5 miles out from the DC line it was country...and lots of corn and tobacco.

[gusopol3]

I looked up Montgomery Ward on Wikipedia, their explanation is as consistent with what you say as with any other theory.

“The brand name of the store became embedded in the popular American consciousness and was often called by the nickname Monkey Ward, both affectionately and derisively.”

I really don’t know that I heard that contraction much around Philadelphia, where there is also a Montgomery County. However, the store itself wasn’t a presence in Philly, the way it apparently had been in Baltimore

“The Baltimore Montgomery Ward Warehouse and Retail Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.”

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I wonder if Kenmont Swim and Tennis club is a major political donor to council members.

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[Albion Wilde]

I wonder where/how “monkey “ became a nickname for “Montgomery?”

It's because of the old-time Maryland accent, which has to be heard to be believed. It's almost impossible to write in our alphabet; but here are some approximations:

Maryland = Merlin
County = Cowny (sometimes written Canny)
House = Hayuce
Files = falls
Out = ayoud
Moon = mewn
Ground = graynd
Down = dayn
Store = stewr
Bel Air = Blair
Montgomery = Mgummy (which has become tricked up to become Monkey)

[Albion Wilde]

PS

ironing = arnin (You can hear an example of this in John Travolta’s performance of Edna Turnblad in the 2007 movie Hairspray)

[gusopol3]

Thanks, that’s great.