# Question for British Isles/UK Dopers-- **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717 "2003-07-29T18:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/1 "2003-07-29T18:22:20Z")
As I was watching the PBS show _Mystery!_ this past Sunday, they referred to a ditch between the road and field as a “ha ha” - which has stuck with me since, making me giggle at unseemly times too, I might add! Was this (or is this) an accurate term, in the British countryside? Or is it something they made up, or something that has fallen out of use? Mrs. Bradley’s (Diana Riggs’ character) chaffeur kept calling it a trench, but Mrs. Bradley kept correcting him that it was a “ha ha” – to keep people off the lawns and away from the sheep, or something to that effect. Just a bit curious… 🙂 Thanks in advance! ~~tarragon~~ ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/2 "2003-07-29T18:57:43Z")
Yes, there are such things as "ha ha"s. Essentially, they’re ditches to mark edges of territory and to stop people, sheep and cows wandering about willy-nilly. Often found boardering posh estates, hence Mrs Bradley being proud of her ha ha. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/3 "2003-07-29T19:50:56Z")
Ha ha ! There’s a tiny white frog in Brazil called a “Hua” - the “u” is kind of flat and nasal so it comes out sounding like an enthusiastic “Ha!” heh, heh. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/4 "2003-07-29T20:16:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \>snip\< > \*\*hence Mrs Bradley being proud of her ha ha. 🙂 \*\* 😃 O the possiblities for mischief… Hee! ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/5 "2003-07-29T20:25:29Z")
And don’t forget Ha Ha Lane and Ha Ha Street in Woolwich, Sarf East London. [http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/council/other/marathon.htm](http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/council/other/marathon.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/6 "2003-07-29T20:47:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\*And don’t forget Ha Ha Lane and Ha Ha Street in Woolwich, Sarf East London. > > [http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/council/other/marathon.htm](http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/council/other/marathon.htm) \*\* A photo of Ha-Ha Road is shown on [this site](http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/council/publicservices/monument.htm) (scroll down almost to the bottom of the page): > [@](#): > > This ha-ha gives Ha-Ha Road its name. A Ha-ha is a ditch designed to keep cattle, especially deer, in (or out) of a particular piece of land, as an alternative to a wall, fence or hedge and which does not interrupt the view. This one is a listed monument! Back to the OP: yes, they’re fairly common in the UK, particularly in grand estates. By using a ha-ha, the nobility would be able to sit outside and look over a pastoral landscape unbroken by ugly walls or fences, while not having to worry about livestock coming up and nibbling on their cucumber sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/7 "2003-07-29T21:08:55Z")
IIRC, they got the name “ha-ha” because unwary visitors to the estates would not notice the sudden drop and fall off them. Them posh folks are right witty, like. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/8 "2003-07-29T21:10:34Z")
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, it’s a term originating from French, first appearing in the seventeenth century. I’m sure you’re all thrilled to know that. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-british-isles-uk-dopers/191717/9 "2003-07-29T21:16:28Z")
Ha-ha’s were originally carefully designed so that the land on one side of the ditch (the manor estate side) would be higher than the surrounding land, this would render the ditch itself virtually invisible to the estate owner. Sometimes there would be a fence or hedge on the farmland side of the ditch, which would also be near invisible too.