Wordwizard

Touche, Russ! I really don't think the British can criticize our pronunciations TOO much when they have the examples you cited. *G* (On a related note, if I happen to ask for Worcestershire Sauce, which I pronounce "wooster-shur," at a restaurant, I get very strange looks from the wait staff. Most p...

Dale, I don't know about you, but I've never pronounced "imaginary" with a long "I" sound, nor have I ever accented the second syllable of "recognize." Colin, I've heard "Iraq" pronounced as "eye-RACK," "ee-RACK," "eye-ROCK," and "ee-ROCK." There doesn't seem to be any consistency, even by news anch...

While "singlet" may be an old-fashioned word for a man's undershirt, Shelley, it is a current word used for the one-piece leotard-like outfits worn by wrestlers.

No, really, Ken, don't hold back! Tell us what you REALLY think!!! *G*

I believe the term you are looking for is "compound word." That term describes words like "classroom," "schoolhouse," "boyfriend," etc.

Although I had to read Dale's first sentence a few times myself, I finally figured it out. He means that THE animal pound has an employee named "Cat." (Although it's usually spelled "Kat," it is a fairly common nickname for a Catherine/Kathryn/Kathleen, etc.) I still don't think you can SUBSTITUTE "...

Why do we need it at all? Well, let's try your second sentence without it: ". . . tracking down why word exists in first place." Why WHAT word exists? If "word" exists in first place, what is in second place, third place, etc.? See, "the" can make quite a bit of difference in our understanding. But ...

Marge Simpson: "Bart, run like the WHINED!" Lisa Simpson: "Mom, that's 'run like the WINNED.'" Marge: "Sorry. I've only seen it in print!"

I know it doesn't add to the discussion, but I thought it was appropriate. *G*

Dale, I'll agree that a driver exceeding the "legal limit" MIGHT imply a DUI situation, but only if the "legal limit" were unqualified. In my example, I said they had exceeded "the legal limit FOR CONSECUTIVE DRIVING HOURS . . . ." I really don't think a "typical" reader would assume that I meant a ...

Dale, you seem to assume that "legal limit" can refer only to DUI/DWI. Although that may be the most common connotation, it is by no means the only "legal limit." For example, if a fisherman exceeds the legal limit by catching too many fish in one day, I don't believe anyone (besides you) would even...

How about this: Many drivers are exceeding the legal limit for consecutive driving hours, because they are not taking the legally mandated rest periods. This seems to clarify the problem fairly well. The legal limit (maximum) which the drivers are "exceeding" is the number of consecutive hours drivi...

Springfield has a language all its own in some respects. I've lived in Illinois all my life, but I had to learn a few new terms when I moved here after college. For example, what I always called a "concrete block" (the big blocks made of concrete [hence the name] and used for foundations) is called ...

There's a long-standing joke in these parts that you might be from Springfield (Illinois, that is) if you go to Chicago and no one will give you a "sody"! Growing up in South-Central Illinois, though, we never referred to either "soda/sody" or "pop"; we just used "Coke" as a generic catch-all encomp...

And in keeping with LTCG's redneck background, the phrase should really be spelled "Git" (regardless of how the last two parts are spelled). In Redneckese, the word "get" is pronounced with a very distinct short "I" sound. I suspect if you do a search spelling it "Git" you'll GET quite a few more hi...

If you want a clear picture of how stupidity works, just do a web search on "Illinois politics"!!!