Rude pub names that might leave drinkers spluttering into their ale – including The Polished Knob

ENJOYING a pint in your local is about as British as it gets – but have you ever grabbed one in the Polished Knob or popped into The Juggs for a nip?

Across the centuries, boozers have been given names that might raise a few eyebrows today.

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This week it was revealed The Midget pub in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, would be rebranded amid claims its moniker was offensive.

Some insisted it was “derogatory” towards “people with dwarfism”.

But the name, coined in the 1970s, was actually a nod to the famous MG Midget sports car once built in the town.

Here, we look at other pub names that might leave drinkers spluttering into their ale — but most of which have totally innocent origins . . . 

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The Polished Knob in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, opened its bar to drinkers in 2010. But surely the name is only a reference to shiny, er, door handles.

The Juggs in Lewes, East Sussex, is simply an innocent nod to baskets used by fishwives to carry their husbands’ catch to market.

The Cock and Pullet in Bakewell, Derbyshire, might ruffle a few feathers.

But fear not. It simply refers to poultry — the male cock and female pullet chickens.

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York’s Whippet Inn was inspired by the dog breed rather than anything below the belt.

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One of the oldest pubs in London — Ye Olde Cock, in Holborn — was named after Cock Ale, which had boiled rooster as an ingredient.

Dirty Dicks in Bishopsgate, London, got its name thanks to a chap called Richard Bentley, who didn’t wash.

His story was said to be the inspiration behind the reclusive Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, who totally neglected herself after being jilted at the altar.

Meanwhile, The Two Helmets in New Brighton, Merseyside, played up to its deliberately cheeky name when it put an image of Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock in hard hats on its sign in 2021.

The Round Bush in Watford comes from the foliage next to the front door.

And The Dirty Habit in Maidstone, Kent, refers to the clothing of thirsty pilgrims and not any saucy shenanigans.

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