Horne

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Feb 3, 2008 3:19 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> But he's finally realized that mere memory is basically worthless to
> the pros.:-) Memory is only for fee-U-N, to use another of my mother's
> old slang phrases. (I wonder why that isn't "F-U-fun," like the later
> "T-I-'tis." Of course, "tee-I-S" would be non-distinct from "T-I-S.")

In your case "mere" memory is hardly worthless, Wilson! On Language
Log and elsewhere I've had occasion to cite your recollections on "How
ADJ is that!", " It's X's world, we just live in it", "good lookin'
out", and other hard-to-track colloquialisms.

> My North-Carolina relatives seriously use "JAY pan" for "Japan" and I
> would never have thought that anyone would use that pronunciation
> except as a joke.

Ah yes, as in the "JAYpan fan" of "Jackson" fame...

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--Ben Zimmer

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