Segway

[Geoff]

Segway, as far as I can see, is defined as:

segway
noun
(trademark) a self-balancing personal transportation device with two wheels; can operate in any level pedestrian environment.

but I hear it used quite often to mean (judging by context) a lead in to another subject. Can anyone confirm this usage and its origin in this sense?

[Dave]

Yes, but it's spelled

segue vi. -gued, gueing to continue without break (to or into the next part)
n. an immediate transistion from one part to another, as in music [WEBSTER'S]

It's from Italian. There are no accents.

[Geoff]

Dave,

As my son has just said, thank you for enlightening us. He was the one who recently made me aware of the word when he used it and I have been hearing it quite often ever since. He wonders, as do I now, how many others knew that it really is segue and not segway as we both thought.

I do believe, when I stop and think about it (or, more specifically, look at the word) that I have encountered segue before, but it obviously is not a word that has made it into my vocabulary.

[Pete]

This is a word that I have been mispronouncing for years, as 'seeg'.

[Verbivore]

Jun 25, 2009 18:16:17 GMT Pete said:

This is a word that I have been mispronouncing for years, as 'seeg'.

You're not alone, Pete. I, too, pronounced it seeg until about 20 years ago - despite having been familiar with it (in writing) since almost forever.

[Pete]

Jun 26, 2009 0:08:37 GMT Verbivore said:

Jun 25, 2009 18:16:17 GMT Pete said:

This is a word that I have been mispronouncing for years, as 'seeg'.

You're not alone, Pete. I, too, pronounced it seeg until about 20 years ago - despite having been familiar with it (in writing) since almost forever.

Perhaps we're right and everybody else is wrong (or has an alternative pronunciation, as Paul might suggest)? ;D

[Paul Doherty]

Jun 26, 2009 6:55:35 GMT Pete said:

(or has an alternative pronunciation, as Paul might suggest)? ;D

I'm afraid I did know the word: it's DJ-speak, isn't it? I would have spelled it segue (although I might have wondered about an accent -- thanks Dave) and pronounced it "segway".

[Verbivore]

Jun 29, 2009 0:29:23 GMT Paul Doherty said:

Jun 26, 2009 6:55:35 GMT Pete said:

(or has an alternative pronunciation, as Paul might suggest)? ;D

[...] it's DJ-speak, isn't it? [...]

I first became aware of the term (in writing, no idea of correct pronunciation at that time) through music of the 50s / '60s era -- particularly show-tune medleys, where, overture-like, songs or parts of songs were smoothly conjoined. The "join" was the segue.

[Tone]

I recall that, when I first saw it, I pronounced it segg-you.

Tone

[Pete]

Seg - you, seg - we, seg - them! ;D

[SusanB]

No way.