"Clique": kleek? klick?

Douglas G. Wilson douglas at NB.NET
Mon Jan 2 22:16:27 UTC 2006


>As has been noted (OED2), *clique* is only 'kleek' in Britain and consequently
>for me.  But I've been interested to see in this discussion that not all
>Americans say (only) 'klick'.  In interviews conducted around Philadelphia
>(and
>in conversation with colleagues from all over the States) I have only ever
>heard
>'klick', and, actually, when I first heard the word from a Philadelphian
>interviewee, I needed an (internal) double-take to realise that what had just
>been said wasn't some sense of *click* that I hadn't been familiar with.

Today I asked two young persons; they are siblings; both have attended the
same high school. One claims to use only "kleek", the other only "klick". I
guess they must have been in different cliques at school. (Both are happy
with "obleek" and "nitch".)

-- Doug



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