Is there such a thing as Bob wire?

My co-worker Rob Nunley pointed out a great Web site about commonly mispronounced and misused words to me the other day and I just had to pass some of the more amusing examples along to readers. Though I hate to admit I?m such a word geek that I actually love dictionary Web sites, but I do. This one is called Yourdictionary.com. Those who love words should definitely visit it. It?s quite a lot of fun.

Herewith some of the mis-pronunciations and bad uses that make our language so interesting.

? Acrossed ? across

It is easy to confuse “across” with “crossed” but better to keep them separate.

? Affidavid ? affidavit

Even if your lawyer’s name is ‘David,’ he issues affidavits.

? Old-timer’s disease ? Alzheimer’s disease

While it is a disease of old-timers, it is named for the German neurologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer.

? Aks ? ask

This mispronunciation has been around for so long (over 1,000 years) that linguist Mark Aronoff thinks we should cherish it as a part of our linguistic heritage. Most of us would give the axe to “aks.”

? Athelete, atheletic ? athlete, athletic

Two syllables are enough for “athlete.”

? Barbituate ? barbiturate

Don’t forget this word contains three others: bar+bit+u+rate

? Bob wire ? barbed wire

No, this word wasn’t named for anyone named ‘Bob.’ It should be “barbed wire,” although the suffix ?ed, meaning ‘having,’ is fading away in the U.S.

? Bidness ? business

The change of [s] to [d] before [n] is spreading throughout the U.S. and when the unaccented [I] drops from this word the [s] finds itself in the same environment as in “isn’t” and “wasn’t.”

? A blessing in the skies ? a blessing in disguise

This phrase is no blessing if it comes from the skies. (Pronounce it correctly and help maintain the disguise.)

? Calvary ? cavalry

It isn’t clear why we say, ‘Mind your Ps and Qs’ when we have more difficulty keeping up with our Ls and Rs. Had there been a cavalry in Jesus? time, perhaps Calvary would not have been so tragic.

? Cannidate ? candidate

You aren’t being canny to drop the [d] in this word. Remember, it is the same as “candy date.” (This should help guys remember how to prepare for dates, too.)

? Card shark ? cardsharp

Cardsharps probably won’t eat you alive, though they are adept at cutting your purse strings.

? Carpool tunnel syndrome ? Carpal tunnel syndrome

This one is mispronounced (and misspelled) several different ways; we just picked the funniest. Carpal means ‘pertaining to the wrist.’

? Caucaphony ? cacophony

There is no greater cacophony to the ears than to hear the vowels switched in the pronunciation of this word.

? The Caucases ? The Caucasus

Although there are more than one mountain in this chain, their name is not a plural noun.

? Chester drawers ? chest of drawers

The drawers of Chester is a typical way of looking at these chests down South but it misses the point.

These are just a few of the hilarious examples on this delightful Web site. Check it out, you?ll love it.

Charlie Johnson is news editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].