Tuesday, November 29, 2005

I vant to be left alone

There is an upscale neighborhood here in Winston-Salem named Coventry.

Now, Coventry is indeed named after the city by the same name in England, where Lady Godiva made her famous clothing-free horseback ride. In that sense, it's no different than a development named "London" or "Oxford".

But each time I see the name of the neighborhood as I'm passing the gates driving here or there, I am reminded of the phrase "to send (someone) to Coventry."

Coventry
noun
A state of ostracism or exile.
"Coventry." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 30 Nov. 2005. http://www.answers.com/coventry

A house in exile

(I covet the library, to be honest.)