Janis,
Not heard of the Pennsylvanian COWPEN/COUPON connection before... but sure like it...... mainly because I
( and lots of others) pronounce the placename COWPEN ,the same as I do the word for the thingie you cut out of a newspaper for offers/discounts... COUPON.
But many others will prounce "coupon" a la mode francais..
coo'po... with emphasis at the begiining and half a nasal "n" at the end.
Trivia Angle.... Cowpen seemingly got it's name from
" coops" or "cowps", names for wicker baskets that were used to catch fish in the River Blyth.
Less romantic root than what my parish priest told his parishioners , when I was a child... " Cowpen named after Copenhagen"
Enough already,
Sick Mick... did I start this, or was it that Spanish lass , Habanero ?