Transfers, Decals, and pronounciation of Deckals/Deecals

[Bob G]

On French Eurostar, St Pancras is pronounced S'on Pon Cras. And so it is.

[chrism]

I do recall hearing of an American gentleman who was having difficulty finding his train to Loogerbooger 

Loughborough?

That's the one 

[jpendle]

I always found Uttoxeter particularly flummoxing.

My old BMW Sat Nav (2014 vintage) dropped the B and pronounced it "Uttock Setter"

John P

[dannyboy]

No need to be confused John - it was an old MW !

[Newportnobby]

The 'B' is silent, just like the 'P' in 'swimming'
(although these dyes that show when you do it tend to make it a thing of the past)

[jpendle]

AHH, I see.

Like when the late great Humphrey Littleton said.

"Nottingham used to be called Snottingham, but they dropped the S, not surprisingly, the people of Scunthorpe resisted this change"

John P

[njee20]

The 'B' is silent, just like the 'P' in 'swimming'
(although these dyes that show when you do it tend to make it a thing of the past)

Those dyes are up there with the van that can tell if you're watching TV without a licence, definitely not founded in reality!

[Bob G]

I always found Uttoxeter particularly flummoxing.

My old BMW Sat Nav (2014 vintage) dropped the B and pronounced it "Uttock Setter"

John P

Buttock setter without the B

[LASteve]

Google Maps have saved us all from the embarrassment of asking directions to "Rattle-ing-hope", and the locals are denied the opportunity of sniggering and asking "You mean "Ratchup", boy?

Although I was once accosted in London and asked for directions to "Lie-sester-shyre Square" which was OK, except we were standing by the statue of Eros, and I wasn't quite sure if we were already in Leicester Square or still in Piccadilly Circus, it was a close call.

I have spent the last 25 years on a futile mission to educate any US citizen that will listen that it's not "Wash-your-sister Sauce" or "Wush-she-shester-sheer Sauce", that's too much trouble for anyone. Say "Wuster" and everyone will know what you mean.

But my adopted country does struggle, just last week I watched a Food Network show where the host confidently, and repeatedly, referred to both jars as "Piccadilly" and "Marra-mite" even though the label quite clearly spelled out "Piccalili" and "Marmite".

One of my favorites was watching another Food Network "celeb" in a black cab, confidently narrating "here we are in Trafalgar Square, which commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar Square". Errm. Not quite.

And to the OP - I called 'em transfers, but then got the first "Revel" dogfight two-fer kit of, I believe, a Zero and a P51 Mustang, and I pronounced 'em Dee-Cals.

Apparently, they are now called waterslides. Language is a wonderful thing.

[LASteve]

Oh, and your "Mish-u-bitsi"?

I have spent many, many years believing that Northrop Grunman was a company. I've spent 25 years flying in and out of LAX where they have a large building alongside runway 25L with their name written large on top of it. It was only last year that I did a double-take and realize it's actually "Grumman". I still think they made a mistake when they put the sign on the building, and I was right all along.

[Newportnobby]

Apparently, they are now called waterslides. Language is a wonderful thing.

Sorry, but waterslides are found in theme park swimming pools.
I have found America tends to make up its own words e.g. forget 'aggression', we'll go with 'aggressiveness' or bugger 'normality', we're gonna use 'normalcy'.
What price formality, eh?
Could be I've opened Pandora's Box, taken out a can of worms and thrown it in a hornet's nest!

[weave]

Hi NPN,

Don't want to fully open the box (unless anyone else does?) but having a peek....

Apparently, although disputed, aluminum is the correct spelling/pronunciation of the word although every other country in the World except the US decided to add an 'i'.

Fair play but why call kebabs, 'kabobs'?

Let the flood gates open 

Sorry, flud gayts 

[Bob G]

Overheard on a local news station when I was last in the US

"A house in downtown XXXX was burglarised last night".

Whatever was wrong with burgled?

Bob

THE BOX IS OPEN!

[Jim Easterbrook]

Overheard on a local news station when I was last in the US

"A house in downtown XXXX was burglarised last night".

Whatever was wrong with burgled?

Strictly speaking, burglarised is more correct. The root word is the noun "burglar", and "burgled" is a dubious back-formation from it.

But language is what people write, not what rules say it should be, so burglar it is.

[Bob G]

Overheard on a local news station when I was last in the US

"A house in downtown XXXX was burglarised last night".

Whatever was wrong with burgled?

Strictly speaking, burglarised is more correct. The root word is the noun "burglar", and "burgled" is a dubious back-formation from it.

But language is what people write, not what rules say it should be, so burglar it is.

Well I'll just go and eat some butterised bread while I editorise my post as I am babysittering.

Why does it have to have a special name of back-formation? Its normal usage (except in the US).

Bob