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Post by Verbivore on Jan 6, 2019 0:56:56 GMT
On the topic of Dave's zebra: who pronounces it how? To my surprise I found the (2nd edn) OED listing ˈziːbrə (the iː rhyming with seen) as the first (most common?) pronunciation and ˈzɛbrə (the ɛ rhyming with bed) as the second. I've always thought that ˈzɛbrə was the UK / AU style and ˈziːbrə the US.
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 6, 2019 0:59:36 GMT
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Post by Twoddle on Jan 6, 2019 11:16:27 GMT
On the topic of Dave's zebra: who pronounces it how? To my surprise I found the (2nd edn) OED listing ˈziːbrə (the iː rhyming with seen) as the first (most common?) pronunciation and ˈzɛbrə (the ɛ rhyming with bed) as the second. I've always thought that ˈzɛbrə was the UK / AU style and ˈziːbrə the US. I've always used the latter pronunciation ("zebbra"), and the former ("zeebra") sounds odd when I hear it. In the UK the black-and-white pedestrian-crossings on roads are known as "zebra crossings" and I've never heard them called "zeebra" crossings; on the other hand I think I've heard David Attenborough say "zeebra". I've just noticed that the forum's spellchecker has corrected all of my "zebbras" and "zeebras" to "zebras" and I've had to uncorrect them individually. Bloody cheek! It might at least have asked me first.
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 6, 2019 12:42:38 GMT
I've just noticed that the forum's spellchecker has corrected all of my "zebbras" and "zeebras" to "zebras" and I've had to uncorrect them individually. Bloody cheek! It might at least have asked me first. Twod: Are you sure it's the forum's spellchecker? I didn't know it had one; however, I do know they exist in some browsers, and I have mine OFF by default (along with autocorrect, which introduces some really ridiculous amendments, especially to personal and family names).
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Jan 6, 2019 17:48:29 GMT
I, too, think I have heard David Attenborough refer to zeebras. I wonder if that helps to sell programmes to the USA? According to Wikipedia here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra the word was originally pronounced with a long initial vowel. I prefer zebbra.
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 7, 2019 11:47:16 GMT
sometime between December 28 and 29And exactly which date was that? I would accept "sometime over December 28 to 29" or "sometime on December 28 or 29", but there’s nothing between those dates.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Jan 7, 2019 12:54:24 GMT
Harry Potter travels to Hogwarts School from platform 9¾ at London’s King’s Cross station Perhaps the incident you refer to, Vv, was on 28½ December?
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Post by Twoddle on Jan 7, 2019 14:08:05 GMT
I've just noticed that the forum's spellchecker has corrected all of my "zebbras" and "zeebras" to "zebras" and I've had to uncorrect them individually. Bloody cheek! It might at least have asked me first. Twod: Are you sure it's the forum's spellchecker? I didn't know it had one; however, I do know they exist in some browsers, and I have mine OFF by default (along with autocorrect, which introduces some really ridiculous amendments, especially to personal and family names). I use Microsoft Edge as my browser, but I don't know whether it has spellchecker or, if so, how to turn off the autocorrect. Life's full of little irritations.
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 7, 2019 20:43:56 GMT
Harry Potter travels to Hogwarts School from platform 9¾ at London’s King’s Cross station Perhaps the incident you refer to, Vv, was on 28½ December? LJH: In fiction, fantasy, and whimsy I can accept such things, but not in The News (unless, I suppose, it's Fake News).
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Post by Dave Miller on Jan 7, 2019 22:43:08 GMT
I would accept "sometime over December 28 to 29" or "sometime on December 28 or 29", but there’s nothing between those dates. Ooh dear. This is one of those “simple” cases where, the more I think about it, the more I am confused. If we keep a secret, between you and me, do neither of us know it? If I see that I could order rasperry pavlova or sticky toffee pudding and I have to choose between them ... what am I likely to get?
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 10, 2019 1:05:00 GMT
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Jan 10, 2019 11:44:55 GMT
I usually regard myself as having a pretty decent general knowledge and vocabulary but my daughter gave me a book of “general knowledge” crossword puzzles at Christmas and am struggling with it. None of the clues is/are cryptic but the answers are a real challenge to my self esteem and I would be grateful for some reassurance from contributors to this forum. Should I be ashamed never to have heard of some of these words and expressions?
Timbromania, whiffet, triumviri, quand meme, peccavi, keratitis, cutto, astatki, zyrian, faux naif, fureur, raphanus, scaridae, anan, chizzed, polyhedric, Numidia, mal vu, aquacade, sajou, kalmia, tone row, tabes, ingesta, toadrush, vavasory, zirconia, azulejo, aconitum, baridie, dimeric, carpaccio, Rigil, fucoidal, viscus (not viscous), evangely, zariba, zooeal, rheotaxis, torquilla.
I hope I have copied the spellings correctly, especially the ‘down’ answers.
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Post by Dave Miller on Jan 10, 2019 15:57:44 GMT
Zirconia is pretty common - as in cubic zirconia, the diamond substitute in cheaper jewellery - and I might have got polyhedric depending on the clue, but the rest are pretty rare. Don't beat yourself up about it!
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Post by Twoddle on Jan 10, 2019 19:56:33 GMT
I recognised eight of those: triumviri (Roman history: the First and Second Triumivirates), quand même (French), faux naïf (French), Numidia (Roman history, a country that's now part of Algeria), mal vu (French), zirconia, aconitum (a plant more usually known as monkshood), and carpaccio (I've eaten it). With the exception of zirconia all of those examples are jolly esoteric, and I wouldn't care to guess what the rest of them mean. They're certainly not "general" knowledge!
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Post by Verbivore on Jan 12, 2019 22:12:36 GMT
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