x-post - that means like someone/thing that eats a lot but also weirdly seems to be the word for wolverine.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 16:12 (nine months ago) link
looked it up - it does mean someone who eats a lot literally but it's the word for glutton. They were calling the squirrels gluttons. :)
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 16:13 (nine months ago) link
We have large dogs down here too.
― pplains, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 16:35 (nine months ago) link
xp Yes, exactly--they are almost always nibbling.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 16:59 (nine months ago) link
aiui humans can contract leprosy from armadillos only by eating their under-cooked flesh (so always use a meat thermometer when preparing armadillo)
― Brad C., Wednesday, 19 July 2023 17:14 (nine months ago) link
xp to gyac, to be fair, this Irish babysitter cared forme from the age of 6 months to about a year— I have no memory of her
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 17:52 (nine months ago) link
I am sad that despite going to California pretty much every year from 2003-2015 that I never saw a raccoon.
here in Oakland, we actually have a family of blonde raccoons living by the lake... not true albinos, just some kind of mutation.. I see them fairly often, they're prolific swimmers
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 18:07 (nine months ago) link
I'm given to understand that firefly larvae are especially badass predators - they can numb and liquefy their prey.
― Exit, pursued by a beer (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 19:38 (nine months ago) link
When I lived in Brooklyn I was regularly delighted by the chipmunks in Prospect Park, which in themselves are I suppose no more remarkable than squirrels, but we don't get them in the UK. Americans say squirrel funny ime
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 19:43 (nine months ago) link
I suppose it's just that they emphasise the u and we emphasise the i
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 19:44 (nine months ago) link
skwirl
― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 19:45 (nine months ago) link
My daughter's girlfriend called them squiggles one time and now that's what we call them
― Exit, pursued by a beer (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 19:50 (nine months ago) link
Eh?
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 20:57 (nine months ago) link
You can't spell TEAM with either of those letters though.
― pplains, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:07 (nine months ago) link
I don't know, that's roughly how it sounds to me. I see skwi-rel and they say skwu-rel (apologies to IPA). There is more to it than that though, I realise – Americans tend to almost say the whole thing as one syllable whereas I stress the skwi.
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:27 (nine months ago) link
Skwurl
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:27 (nine months ago) link
* I say skwi-rel, not I see skwi-rel, though quite often I do see skwi-rel
xpost
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:28 (nine months ago) link
Yes, I think the main difference is Americans tend to not to pronounce the -rel part.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:33 (nine months ago) link
... or not very strongly.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:34 (nine months ago) link
I dunno, if you listen to Google's US and English pronunciation (controversially labelled as "British pronunciation") the rel is pretty clear
https://www.google.com/search?q=pronounce+squirrel&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB976GB977&oq=pronounce+squirrel
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:39 (nine months ago) link
Sounds like skwurl to me...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P6B2JRU4Rk
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:46 (nine months ago) link
Whereas...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGyWifMrDsA
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:48 (nine months ago) link
There was a thread many years ago that I can’t find but sarahell and a few other people were riffing on the “change girl to squirrel” in a song lyric fun. i still sing “hey little squirrel, i wanna be yr boyfriend” when i have a notable interaction with one
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:52 (nine months ago) link
Yes that wouldn't work in England - but it would in Scotland because "girl" is pronounced "gir-rel"!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:57 (nine months ago) link
In America it’s one syllable - here it’s 2. I hate it.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:58 (nine months ago) link
shockingly old to learn that 'squirrel' in an international tongue twister, had no idea
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:58 (nine months ago) link
Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:59 (nine months ago) link
Hike up your skirt a little moreShow your squirrel to me
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 21:59 (nine months ago) link
The French can't pronounce it either.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:00 (nine months ago) link
It’s a horrible word! it’s tough for everyone involved.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:00 (nine months ago) link
I'm not entirely sure Americans consider it one syllable, hmmm
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:01 (nine months ago) link
Oh God no, that's horrible. Also I'm not aware of anyone every calling Billy Graham Billy Gram so what's up there?
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:01 (nine months ago) link
Compared to the way it’s said here? Also the us is huge bit I’ve only ever heard “skwrul”. It’s prob 2 syllables somewhere in the south.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:02 (nine months ago) link
People in the southern U.S. very definitely say "Billy Gram" (or maybe sometimes "Billy Graym").
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:02 (nine months ago) link
I would say Billy Gram! Gram crackers. Billy Gram. I can’t say it as 2 syllables it sounds weird.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:03 (nine months ago) link
OMG that is so weird!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:05 (nine months ago) link
haha yeah I am team gram all the way
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:07 (nine months ago) link
Billuh Graym
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:08 (nine months ago) link
I reckon that's yet another example of Americans using French pronunciation of names - Graham is apparently Anglo-French.
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:08 (nine months ago) link
americans saying Craig as Creg always sounds weird to me
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:25 (nine months ago) link
There's also "melk," "pellow" "warsh your hands", all kinds of regional differences
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:30 (nine months ago) link
The "country" Southern accent is very confusing sometimes
"pin" (meaning "pen")"hills" (meaning "heels")"lah" (meaning "lie")
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:32 (nine months ago) link
Gram Coxon, kind of works
― I fell asleep at kabuki (Matt #2), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:32 (nine months ago) link
Gram Garden
― I fell asleep at kabuki (Matt #2), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:33 (nine months ago) link
(xps) Yes, Creg, that's as bad as Gram!
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:33 (nine months ago) link
I always hear it as 'Crag' like a cumbersome rock.
― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:34 (nine months ago) link
That's a name a Southerner could turn into nearly two syllables
"Cray-ugh"
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:35 (nine months ago) link
I honestly had never heard anyone pronounce Billy Graham as Billy Gram but I just watched some youtubes and it sounds totally weird. However as many (Americnan) people were pronouncing Graham the "British way" as the "American way".
― John Donne In Concert (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:36 (nine months ago) link
where I'm from in the hills of NorCal, 'dude' might be pronounced 'deed'.. as in "Awww, deed.." was something I heard multiple times a day in high school
Sort of a hillbilly/stoner/surfer dialectic.. "seen" often replaced "saw", as in "I seen a sweet Camaro this morning"
― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:37 (nine months ago) link
Craig and Greg DO NOT RHYME. I have very strong feelings about that. Also can't stand Gram for Graham (Gram as a nickname is fine, using it as standard pronunciation is bad) but I do like skwurl for squirrel (but not more than squirrel for squirrel, I just like them both).
― emil.y, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:37 (nine months ago) link