help plz thx

[littlewashu]

I'm listening to the audiobook of Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry. He's a British dude.

In this last chapter, he said a word (a noun) that sounds like "haha." But it's not "haha," because I looked it up, and that's not a word. It describes an . . . area. Like, there's a lawn, and a slope, and then at the bottom of that there's a "haha." You can cross the "haha." I guess it's like a field or a moor or something. I think he's in Scotland at the time, if that helps any.

Does anyone know what this word is, and how it's spelled?

By the way, I'm loving the book so far. It's narrated by a cranky, whiskey-drinking poet, so if you happen to be a cranky, whiskey-drinking poet, you might like it too.

EDIT: Found! It is a ha-ha. I . . . sort of can't believe I didn't try to hyphenate it myself in the first place.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

sunk fence
n. A walled ditch or sunken obstacle, such as a hedge, serving especially as a barrier to livestock without impairing the view or scenic appeal. Also called ha-ha.

that was fast!

[littlewashu.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Thank you, anonymous tipster!

[mordicai.livejournal.com]

i know all about them- i wrote a paper!

[qed.livejournal.com]

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series there's an architect who's terrible with dimensions. He designs a garden with a "ho-ho", which is like a "ha-ha" except a couple hundred feet deep. People keep falling in and getting killed.

[littlewashu.livejournal.com]

Ha! Although I'd call that an "uh-oh," myself. Or an "oh no." Or a "what the."

[calamityjon.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity, have you tried reading any of Fry's books? I'm struggling through The Liar, and I'm of the feeling that it's a book more meant to be listened to than actually read. Alternatively, I may be a bit thickish ...

[littlewashu.livejournal.com]

This is my first! I didn't even know he was a novelist until I saw the book on the shelf at the library.

He reads it himself, of course, since that's his thing anyway. I've heard that a lot of time authors reading their own works isn't as great as it should be, but he's pretty awesome. And yeah, I think that since I'm American, and don't listen to/watch very much British entertainment these days, it makes it easier to understand when heard in the appropriate, well, language.

A lot of stuff does still fly over my head, though, and at first there were a bunch of names and I was frustrated that I couldn't just flip back to find out which one was David and which one was Simon, again. And I was thinking that I should have read it (then also I wouldn't have to stop when I got home.) But now I think I'll stick with it, now that I know what a ha-ha is.

[counterfeitfake.livejournal.com]

not to be confused with hoo-ha