farty

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated > Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:53:19 -0400
> "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU> writes:
>
> Close but no cigar. Yes, forty (with open o) falls together with
> farty (with short o), but four (with long o) is actually preserved in
> St Louis, as it is in my dialect (Louisville) ,one of the few which
> keeps the hoarse-horse distinction. (Alas, used to keep the
> hoarse-horse distinction, I should say.)

I am from Louisville and I have no recollection of any hoarse-horse
distinction.  In fact, I can't imagine how whichever one does not rhyme with "course"
would sound.

"My mother's throat was red, but the doctor said that I had a hoarse of a
different color" is a joke I heard in high school.  ("Horse of a different color"
appears in the 1939 movie "Wizard of Oz".)

          - James A. Landau