Maybe it’s some super-sized nihilism. (If that’s what I mean.) Nothing is real. You seem (if you will) to be among very few here interested in anything but etymology. Yet no one has accepted the brogine challenge: Can you find the route from the erudite quill of Washington Irving to "Don't get ...

Have you ever seen this construction? Just came across this in a novel by Christopher Brookmyre, a Scot: “ . . . at how many people end up needing rescued . . . . “ I’ve only heard this from people from Pittsburgh (“My hair needs washed,” e.g.) and I’ve always thought it was a local idiosyncrasy.

Hi. It was just a pretentious way to add enumeration. Those are all bits that moved me over many years of reading this and that. In other ravings . . . did you notice, in the ‘slough’ business, I changed ‘unsupported by the OED’ to ‘not supported by the OED’? The former struck me as vaguely illogica...

I don’t know if this belongs here, or on this forum at all. Howsomeverwise . . . . I’ve seen our Western Arabic numerals used with all kinds (possibly literally ) of writing systems, Arabic, Chinese, other Asian, and lots of others. (Notices from Kaiser include contact information in lots of differe...

It's not exact, but spoonerism comes to mind. The original wasn't intentional, but nearly anything you see nowadays called one, is. I’m remembering the very clever Two Ronnies , from BBC television. Wordplay-based humor I always found so much funnier than Monty Python , and way better than Rowan At...

“Pronunciation: slu (US), slaw (UK)”

Interesting. ‘Slaw’ would a fifth way to pronounce.
Unfortunately, this is not supported by the OED.

Maybe - and I think anyone is susceptible to this - it’s a regional variation so familiar it’s thought of without question as standard.

Hi. Did you mean though ? Because through is one of the two most obvious ones. Matter of fact, it’s the usual pronunciation of your second slough . ‘Slough’ was an alternate spelling of ‘slow’ in Middle English, and ‘slow’ is given as a secondary pronunciation of ‘slough’-cum-‘morass’ in U.S. Englis...

Enfin! Well, all both of you waiting . . . (I’ve always been an optimist, and apologies to Louis Jordan, by the by) . . . counting British English, (or Old or Middle English, if you’re doing a reading), there are four ways to pronounce s-l-o-u-g-h . To wit, depending on meaning, of course, it can r...

I’ve heard that usage and you’re perfectly right. Should have noted that. Supported by both sources mentioned. Thanks.

According to Leo Rosten’s The Joys of Yiddish - and HRH, the OED - the word derives from the German ‘quetschen’, ‘squeeze’ or ‘press’. Although Rosten cites several meanings, I think it’s safe to say that these days its near-exclusive use is yours, ‘complain’. Practitioners of the ancient art are (m...

Still homonyms. Heteronyms are - independently - tear, lead, bow, and the ever-popular cetera.

Sorry, old son. Abbreviations need not apply. Anyway, those are homo nyms. Perusing my effluvia, though, I do see a few quad homonyms, although a couple exhibit scant respect for my strict principles on word games. Actually, I didn’t know ‘heteronym’, and discovered it searching the OED for words en...

Through assiduous shiftlessness, I have found a quadruple heteronym!
And it doesn’t involve Scottish English.
It will be revealed in a week or so. (I may need reminding.)

That is quite interesting, but we’re still missing its vocal cousin. Closer, but no cigars yet. I’ve just found this ‘obsolete’ word in the OED: missounding, ‘Erroneous or uneuphonious sounding (of music, words, etc.),’ which could include intentional application.

Anyone know a word - I haven’t had any luck with reverse dictionaries - for ‘deliberate mispronunciation,’ - as for comedic or emotive effect? (Or ‘deliberate use of incorrect grammar,’ either.) I’m thinking of some very effective examples. I think such rhetorical devices may go back a long way, and...