Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate

The shortest street name in York belongs to a tiny intersection marked by a simple street sign, Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate. While the name sounds like nonsense, local historians trace it to the Old English words for what a whip, a horse, and a gate might imply about a harsh public space. In the sixteenth century, this spot held the city’s whipping post. The city authorities secured people here to be lashed for petty crimes, and the name served as a warning to anyone passing through.