>>Further evidence for that pronunciation is the English insult "berk" >>(pronounced that way), which is, naturally, short for "Berkshire hunt", >>which is Cockney rhyming slang for "obnoxious person".
Some quick googling turns up about roughly twice as many supporting "Berkshire" as "Berkeley", with a small population insisting it's short for "Berkhamptstead". Failing any authoritative source, I think we'll have to settle for "origin is disputed".
> ..."Stupid Cunt".
Hm. I *thought* 'obnoxious person' wasn't a very good rhyme for 'berkshire hunt'...
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