Canute - is it the new Uranus?

[NickM]

By which I mean that people on the radio nowadays generally refer to the planet Uranus when what they really mean is Uranus (as we all know)...

...and, similarly, if you happen to type the Old English form of the name of that king otherwise known as Canute into this forum (as, from time to time, one finds it necessary to do during normal social intercourse) it gets bowdlerised!

Grrrrrrr

 

[Fnaar]

I was 'reading the stars' out at work over coffee some years ago to the assembled crew of workmates. When it came to the turn of an openly gay (and rather camp) colleague, I told him (ad-libbing) "a heavenly body will be moving into Uranus"
You had to be there, but it was a funny moment

 

[NickM]

I think that I shall start referring to people who need it as "a right Canute".

You'll all know what I mean, won't you?

 

[Over The Hill]

I find it quite funny that everyone says Gnu pronounced gernoo, when it is really pronounced noo. This seems to arise from a song (Flanders and Swann) which is full of words with silent letters being sounded as a joke.

 

[abchandler]

A mate of mine would get around the social unacceptability by referring to people as a teenuck (tnuc)

 

[661-Pete]

[astronomer hat on]
Will it come to anyone's surprise that I'm heartily sick of those flippin' 'Uranus' jokes? Me, I pronounce it Uranus, following Patrick Moore in this vein (in his youth, I believe he used to say Uranus on S@N, possibly his BBC mentors had a hard time time explaining to him... anyway, he changed his pronunciation ).

Luckily, there is no known planet, star, or other astro feature, named "Scunthorpe". No doubt some bright spark somewhere will propose the name for some newly-discovered object, one of these days....

 

[Globalti]

Do you know there are some people who mispronounce Ikea as Eyekea? These are presumably the same people who go clubbing in Eyebeetha and talk about Eyerack, a country in the Middle East.

 

[661-Pete]

I told him (ad-libbing) "a heavenly body will be moving into Uranus"

To be pedantic, an outrageous case of ad-libbing chutzpah indeed! I don't see how a planet or any other Solar System object can move into another planet, unless it collides with it (e.g. comet SL9 hitting Jupiter). Objects can move 'into' constellations, not planets.
[/pedant]

 

[abchandler]

I find it quite funny that everyone says Gnu pronounced gernoo, when it is really pronounced noo. This seems to arise from a song (Flanders and Swann) which is full of words with silent letters being sounded as a joke.

or the famous lyric -

Gni gnu you down the river?

 

[Fnaar]

To be pedantic, an outrageous case of ad-libbing chutzpah indeed! I don't see how a planet or any other Solar System object can move into another planet, unless it collides with it (e.g. comet SL9 hitting Jupiter). Objects can move 'into' constellations, not planets.
[/pedant]

I know, it doesn't work But it was meant to mildly outrage and amuse and is to be taken in the vein of "with Mars in the ascendant" or "with the waxing moon moving into Scorpio" etc

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I find it quite funny that everyone says Gnu pronounced gernoo, when it is really pronounced noo.

Don't be silly - you'll be telling us Knorr isn't pronounced Ker-norr next!

 

[Fnaar]

ker-nickers to that!

 

[Over The Hill]

Don't be silly - you'll be telling us Knorr isn't pronounced Ker-norr next!

I dont Know!

As a kid it was Nestles (Nessalls) even in the milky bar adverts but now they has gone all posh with Nes-lay


Family calls Ikea Ikky-err for a joke, is it in fact right? I tend to go with what they call themselves which is eye-key-a.
I really hate the thought of Ikea and really dont want to go in one. Not having one locally I often hear similar tales of epic treks to the shop, standing in long queues and taking all day to buy some boxy crap that you could buy and have delivered by Argos in five minutes. But for some reason the buyer seems pleased with this posh chipboard cupboard called "Eric" or whatever.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

RR - you are a serious pedant, aren't you?

As for pronounciations, there are different accents and conventions in languages. I presume you don't object that people refer to 'Pariss' as opposed to 'Paree' or Florence instead of Firenze... or do you?

 

[Theseus]

Family calls Ikea Ikky-err for a joke, is it in fact right? I tend to go with what they call themselves which is eye-key-a.

I thought that they call themselves Ick-ear.