In praise of - DUNS DINGS A'.

AS TOWN mottos go, "The stool capital of the world" (Blaine, Missouri) and "Where the battle wasn't" (Gettysburg, South Dakota) are pretty good.

But the Scottish Borders town of Duns also has a doozie: "Duns dings a'." You'll be familiar with the verb "ding". Facts, you may recall, are chiels that don't go in for that sort of thing, at least according to the poet and independence-supporting Unionist Rab Burns. I think he was trying to say here that facts won't be denied or defeated. I feel an avalanche of pedantry hovering over my heid, so let's skedaddle swiftly and mosey on into Duns.

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