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
One of the many things that fascinate me is the idea that the modern U.S. Southern accent somehow evolved from the accents of the early European settlers of the area, most of whom were Scots (along with Africans, of course).
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:38 (nine months ago) link
"melk," "pellow"
Wasn't he the singer for Wet Wet Wet?
― emil.y, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 22:38 (nine months ago) link