Lake Wobegon

English

Etymology

Coined by American radio personality Garrison Keillor in 1976, from lake +‎ woebegone, but explained as derived from an Ojibwe word with the meaning "the place where we waited all day in the rain [for you].".

Proper noun

Lake Wobegon

1. (US) A fictional place in the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average”. Serves as a proxy for the American small town, particularly the American small town of the Upper Midwest.
   • 2001 August 26, Garrison Keillor, “In Search of Lake Wobegon”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     I put Lake Wobegon (pop. 942) on the western shore of the lake, for the beautiful sunrises. I said it took its name from an Ojibway word that means “the place where we waited all day for you in the rain,” and its slogan was “Sumus quod sumus” (We are who we are), […]

Derived terms

• Lake Wobegon effect

Further reading

• Lake Wobegon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia