Niagara Falls = "Niffles"

[Paul Johnston]

Yes,

Charles House was President Wilson's Chief of Staff during his second term,
and he and Wilson's second wife were reputed to have run the country during
the last few months/year of his presidency, after Wilson became ill.  Much
the same thing as pronouncing "B-u-s-h" as "Cheney".

Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: Niagara Falls = "Niffles"


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Niagara Falls = "Niffles"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
>
> JL quotes a 1929 letter to Time Magazine:
> >>
>
>   During the War it was an Englishman who said the Americans were worse
than
> the English in the difference between spelling and pronunciation. "You
spell
> it W-i-l-s-o-n and pronounce it 'House,'" he remarked.
>
> <<
>
> Is that a reference to US politics? (Wilson was President during World War
> I.) If not, I don't get it at all.
>
> m a m
>
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