What Would You Put in Your Fiction Museum?

I have probably mentioned before - maybe a dozen times by now - that Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my favorite films. (Ignore all sequels; by comparison, they suck.) In Raiders, an object takes center stage as archaeologists and villains compete to be the ones in possession of the ancient and powerful Ark of the Covenant.

I started thinking of books in which an object is a central part of setting or a symbol for the character. What fictional objects do I wish were real and I could see and touch?

So for Deep-Fried Friday, I am opening my own museum.

Welcome to Julie's Novelties of Novels!

Enter inside and see what is featured in today's exhibit.

Sherlock Holmes's Pipe

While Sherlock Holmes is best known for smoking a Callabash pipe, this type is not mentioned in the short stories or novels by Arthur Conan Doyle. Instead, the most commonly referenced pipe is a churchwarden, which Sherlock smoked often when contemplating problems and solutions.

Image: pipetobacco.com

Source: PipesMagazine.com

  

The Hatter's Top Hat

Lewis Carroll never referred to him as the "Mad Hatter," although we all know him as such from the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Instead, he was merely The Hatter. His tea parties were quite the event, so why shouldn't one look dapper wearing a Victorian top hat?

Sources: Several, including Lenny's Alice in Wonderland site

Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak

This item is heavily guarded due to its magical powers. Used by Harry Potter and friends in the series by J.K. Rowling, invisibility can come in quite handy from time to time.

Image from thlog.com

The Wardrobe to Narnia

Although we often picture a rather ornate wardrobe for the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis only specified that it was big and had a looking glass in it. This Victorian wardrobe is the portal into the land of Narnia where animals talk and a lion rules.

Image from antiques-atlas.com

 Sleeping Beauty's Spinning Wheel
First told in the 17th century, the tale of Sleeping Beauty involves jealousy, an evil woman with a spinning wheel, and a curious young woman who cannot resist this fascinating gadget. Prick, sleep, and wait for a handsome prince. Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky each told the story in their own way.
Image from The Canterbury Auction Galleries

One Ring to Rule Them All

"One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Thus is the inscription in Black Speech on the ring featured in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The volcano ash has been polished off the ring for its display here.
Image by Marios Tziortzis

The Cat's Hat
The mischief maker from The Cat in the Hat maintained his distinctive look with this red-and-white hat which towered above his devious feline mind. Dr. Seuss's tale has been a beloved one since its printing in 1957.
Image from Okie Book Woman's Blog (cute Seuss stuff)

Now it's your turn: What would you put in your fiction museum? What items stand out to you in stories, books, television, or movies?

Deep-Fried Friday Blog Awards & Tips

Way back on October 6, Jennette Marie Powell passed along the Versatile Blogger Award to me. I have not forgotten the kindness of her tipping her hat my way! If you have not checked out Jennette's blog, she writes great posts on My Town Monday and has fabulous time-management tips.

This award requires sharing seven things about myself. Rather than adding more random facts about me to this blog, I have decided to share seven tips for blogging.

I'm not a blogging or author platform expert, but a Virginia Slims advertisement from my childhood says it best:

I've come a long way, baby!

I'm learning as I write more and more and read others' blogs. Here are some tips which I don't see covered much, probably because they are minor. Sometimes, though, the small things add up.

1. Tell and show who you are. Include a bio somewhere on your blog. Many blogs have an About Me tab or box so that readers can learn a little about your background and what moves you to blog and write. Also having a photo helps readers to connect your words with an actual person.

2. Run a spell check. I have seen several misspellings on fabulous blogs. Now if you confuse “their” and “there” or leave out a word, stuff like that happens. Your blog posts need not be perfect. However, I am talking about a word like “writr” or “wrietr” where the blogger omitted a letter or inverted letters. Spell check will catch those, and it's just one click and one minute to remedy it.

3. Cite sources. My own rule is that if the information is all over the web like silly string at a birthday party, it is general knowledge and not worth pointing to any one source. But oftentimes, bloggers research topics online and need to credit an idea, information, quotation, or picture to another source. I would be happy for someone to use information found on my blog and cite it; that might direct more traffic my way.

4. Check your links. After posting, it's worth taking a minute or two to click through your links and make sure they work. I recently uploaded a music video that looked fine in my blog's preview window, but when the post went live, the audio had disappeared. I'm glad I checked the broken link, or I would not have known to go back and replace it.

5. Have your links open in a new window. There are differing opinions on this one. However, I think it frustrates most readers to have to click back and forth if they want to check out a link and return to your blog. I don't know how this is done with WordPress or Networked Blogs, but for Blogger I found an answer here.

6. Have easy-to-find buttons for RSS Feed and other social media connections. If you want readers to stalk you, make it easy for them. Don't be shy: Wave to the paparazzi and shout, “Here I am!” If you want fun buttons, I recently found some cool ones from marketing and social media consultant Justin Parks.

7. Pay attention to legibility. Your blog should be readable. There is an author who writes quite well, and I would love to read this author's blog. But my middle-aged eyes struggle with the busy background and bright text on top, so I rarely finish any of the posts. Perhaps it's boring, but basic is better where text is concerned – black or gray on white or cream, like a résumé. The rest of the site can be a veritable feast of psychedelic colors and images, but legibility of text matters if your point is for people to read what you write.

Thanks again to Jennette Powell for the fabulous award!

What tips do you have for blogging? What have you learned along the way? What do you as a reader want to see in a blog? (Did I misspell anything?)

Limericks: There Once Was a Blogger from Texas

It’s another Amaze-ing Words Wednesday with a fun with language post! Who doesn’t love a good limerick?

Leprechauns in the
City of Limerick, Ireland

Limericks are five-lined poems with the aabba rhyme scheme in which the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines are longer and the 3rd and 4th lines form a rhymed couplet. Although poetry with this meter and rhyme appeared centuries earlier, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that such poems were referred to as limericks.

How they got they got the name limerick is a debated issue. Some suggest that it hails from the tavern song, “Will You Come Up to Limerick?” in which drinkers/drunkards made up their own verses, most with bawdy lyrics. However, Arthur Deex, editor of the Limerick Special Interest Group newsletter, makes a better case that the nonsense poems were adopted by Irish taverns, in particular the ones in the town of Limerick. By the late 1800’s, the name stuck to the poems themselves. (See The Assent of the Limerick.)

Edward Lear is the most famous purveyor of the limerick. His Book of Nonsense published in 1861 included 112 limericks, although he did not use that term. Here are a couple of examples of his children’s poetry in limerick form:

There was a Young Lady whose chin,

Resembled the point of a pin;

So she had it made sharp,

And purchased a harp,

And played several tunes with her chin.

There was an Old Person of Berlin,

Whose form was uncommonly thin;

Till he once, by mistake,

Was mixed up in a cake,

So they baked that Old Man of Berlin.

Lear’s limericks usually began with a person from a place, and that format has been followed by most. (Poor Nantucket.)

Of course, most of us don’t think of children’s poetry when we imagine a limerick. (Once again, poor Nantucket.) Limericks are often a vehicle for suggestive or even offensive poetry (such as the few I found from science fiction author Isaac Asimov). Since I try to keep this blog a mostly PG place, I am going to leave you to hunt down the most shocking limericks yourself if you wish. But here are two examples, the first featuring a military trumpeter:

There was a young bandsman of Dee,

Tried to play with a girl on his knee

But the point of the joke

Is he struck the wrong note

And the wedding’s on Thursday at 3.

There was a young girl named Bianca

Asleep on a ship whilst at anchor,

But awoke with dismay,

When she heard the mate say,

“Let’s hoist up the main sheet and spank her.”

(Source: limericks.org)

Frankly, if you ask most people whether they like poetry, they would say no. But ask if they enjoy a good limerick, and you might get a different response. There is something about the rhythm of the limerick and ease of the beginning “There once was . . .” that endears it to most. It’s easy to hear the beats of the poem and find something interesting to say.

In fact, the limerick lends itself to many topics. I’ll give it a shot:

There once was a storyteller

Who wrote and wrote in her cellar

Though at times it was weary

She sent query after query

And now she's a multi-bestseller

Do you enjoy limericks? Do you know any that you could share without blushing? Can you come up with your own limerick below? Have you ever been to Limerick, Ireland and sung a drinking song in a pub?

Top 10 Silly But We-Love-Em Songs

For today's Deep-Fried Friday, the topic is not so much deep as just juicy. Paul McCartney declared, “You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs,” but we haven't. Indeed, we can't get enough of silly songs, period.

Since I love making lists, today I'm giving you my list of incredibly silly songs that we listen to anyway. To make my Top 10 (or so – I'm not a mathematician, I'm a writer), the song had to meet my criteria:

1. It made it to Billboard's Top 5 in its day – meaning that quite a few people liked it. While I personally adore “I Eat Cannibals” by Total Coelo and “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon, they didn't have enough fans like me to make it onto the list.
2. I could find a video of it on YouTube – So sorry, but Rose Royce's #1 hit “Car Wash” did not make the list; no quality video. I want to take the readers back down Memory Lane and share the song, in case our recall fails us or we simply want to hear it again.
3. At least one stanza or chorus of lyrics is completely silly, even if the rhyming is clever. I wavered on whether “Walk Like an Egyptian” by Bangles was silly enough, so it didn't make my list.
4. It isn't by the Beatles. Yes, I know that you can find “Yellow Submarine” on others' lists, but I refuse to group the Fab Four with some of the following artists. In fact, I loved their movie by the same name!

So here is my list of music at its silliest and best.

10. Muskrat Love by Captain & Tennille (Billboard #4, September 25, 1976). A song about muskrats falling in love. It was cute. It was stupid. It was a hit.

 Silly Lyrics: "Now, he's ticklin' her fancy; Rubbin' her toes

Muzzle to muzzle; Now anything goes as they wriggle

Sue starts to giggle."

9. Pop Muzik by M (#1, August 11, 1979). Shooby-dooby-doo-wop, this was a pointless song which was fun nonetheless. I remember seeing the music video of this song, but I don't know where because MTV premiered in 1981. I can't explain the misspelling of music, though I suppose it does make the title memorable.

Silly Lyrics: "Let's do the milkshake; You're selling like a hot cake
Try some, buy some; Fee fi fo fum."

8. Ballroom Blitz by Sweet (#5, June 14, 1975). This song is so fun that it was covered by Krokus in the 1980's, and that's the version I had on my Sony Walkman cassette player in college. It's a song about a bar fight, more beautifully called a “ballroom blitz.”

Silly Lyrics: "Oh yeah, it was electric, so frightfully hectic
And the band started leaving, 'cause they all stopped breathing."

7. The Streak by Ray Stevens (#1, April 13, 1974). Ray Stevens was a musician and comedian whose recording of “The Streak” made us all say, “Don't look, Ethel!” This was also the same year that actor David Niven's presentation of an Oscar award was interrupted by a streaker on stage, to which Niven brilliantly quipped, “Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”

Updated Video Version from Ray Stevens

Silly Lyrics: "Oh, yes, they call him the Streak
He likes to show off his physique
If there's an audience to be found, He'll be streakin' around
Invitin' public critique."

6. The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley (#1, June 1958 - pre-Billboard's Hot 100). One-horned, one-eyed, and flying, that purple people eater was Wooley's way of parodying the science fiction flicks of the day. Oddly enough, my son went to a camp last year in which his team was named the Flying Purple People Eaters. Now that's a silly song that has lasted.

Silly Lyrics: "Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky

It had the one long horn, one big eye

I commenced to shakin' and I said ooh-eee

It looks like a purple eater to me"

5. Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas (#1, October 12, 1974). My husband might not think this is silly (he's a David Carradine/Kung Fu series fan). But a song about kung fu? Remember that this was released long before there was a martial arts studio on every corner or any Karate Kid movies.

Silly Lyrics: "They were funky China men from funky Chinatown
They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down."

4. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats (#3, June 25, 1983). What the heck is a safety dance? I still don't know. But Dr. Turk from “Scrubs” did; he sang the song on the show.

Silly Lyrics: "And we can dress real neat from our hats to our feet
And surprise 'em with the victory cry."

3. Mickey by Toni Basil (#1, September 4, 1982). The song is definitely shallow, but it's the video with Toni and her cheerleader squad that takes the cake on this one.

Silly Lyrics: "Oh Mickey, you're so fine

You're so fine, you blow my mind

Hey, Mickey! Hey, Mickey!"

2. I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred (#1, February 8, 1992). Wow, we actually catapulted this lame song to Numero Uno! Does that mean we're all egotistic enough that we loved singing along with “I'm too sexy for my shirt”? We are a sexy bunch, aren't we? Not so much this guy, though.

Silly Lyrics: "I'm too sexy for my shirt

Too sexy for my shirts

So sexy it hurts."

1a. Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini by Brian Hyland (#1, July 4, 1960). The best part of this song is the background singers. I swear to you that I have never owned an itsy bitsy bikini of any pattern, and if I did, the people around would sing “Get Back" by the Beatles instead.

Silly Lyrics: "Two three four

Tell the people what she wore
It was an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

1b. YMCA by The Village People (#2, October 21, 1978). If I had predicted that a song by men dressed as workers, a cowboy, and a Native American (what was that about?) would record a song about your local community center and it would become a number two hit, you would have called me loony at the least. But here you go! And there are arm movements to the song, which we all know and do whenever the song comes on.

Silly Lyrics: "It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A.
It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A."

If you paid attention to dates, you'll see that eight of my songs range from the ten-year period of 1974-1983. Either those songs struck a chord with me because that decade was during my growing-up years or we were especially silly at that time. Who knows!

What other silly songs about stupid things were fun and popular? What are your favorites?

Can I Make Up a Word?

I speak of the
pompatus of love.
- "The Joker"



Welcome to Amaze-ing Words Wednesday! There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who believe that Steve Miller is super-cool for making up a word - “pompatus” [of love] - and those who think Steve Miller was being silly.

It would be convenient at times to simply make up your own words. For instance, if you are writing a poem or a song, it might help to invent a word to better rhyme with another word. You might need something to rhyme with "angst" (nothing does).

When attempting to avoid cussing (for whatever reason), it might be nice to call someone a “kerpluk,” which you have personally decided means “you dim-witted, selfish, son of a #!*%*.” (If my mom is reading this, that was "son of a gun.”)

Moreover, you may have discovered some item or concept that has yet to be labeled. After all, what do you call that string of dead bugs which gather between your carpet and baseboard? If it happens often to enough people, maybe someone should invent a word for it.

I think the pompatus of love sounds delightful. I don't know what it means and don't need to (although The Straight Dope has a good article on its origin). The word is just fun to say and to sing.

Made-up words yet to be officially defined or commonly used are neologisms. The Washington Post hosts neologism contests through The Style Invitational. They invite readers to submit invented words based on some concept and parameters (for instance, using foreign words) and then choose winners from among the entries.

Some winners and runners-up of the contest are featured below:

Cogito ergo bum: Sudden realization of graduating philosophy majors.

Fit accompli: When the screaming 2-year-old finally gets the cookie.

Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

The New York Times also printed a few neologisms in March 2011, including the following words that you might wish to add to your vocabulary:

Centrovert: One who is slightly introvert and slightly extrovert and is thus ideally suited for mediation, negotiation and collaboration.

Disposophobia: A sesquipedalian term for hoarding.

Sheening: To behave like Charlie Sheen – partying, questionable decision making and public humiliation.

Rice University keeps a Neologisms Database (compiled by ENGL215/LING215 students). Here are some of their entries:

Aberzombie: One who wears only clothing from the Abercrombie clothing store and is viewed as lacking in unique personality or independent taste in style.

Pirattitude: To act like a stereotypical pirate, by singing chanties and engaging in other such activities.

Sweaxy: The feeling of having an attractive glow of good health after exercising.

The University of Pennsylvania maintains a website called the Language Log which also notes neologisms as they appear in our language, such as:

Scrobble: To kidnap or capture, such as media that you shouldn't be pirating.

Sportspocalypse. The month packed with sports video game releases; a showdown of licensed sports titles.

Additionally, I hear slang terms all of the time which make no sense to me, so I head over to the Urban Dictionary to look them up. These are words which people have made up or heard and then written their own definition for. Top entries as I write this post include:

Carnevoyeur: A vegetarian who derives satisfaction from watching other people eat meat or hearing about the eating of meat.

Chiptease: When you buy a bag of chips thinking that it will be full of chips, but when you open the bag it's barely full.

Manolescent: A man of any age that shirks adult responsibilities.

Some neologisms have crept into my own vocabulary, such as "staycation” and “cringeworthy.” Yet I want to invent my own word. Something filled with meaning, beneficial to humankind, and lasting in its impact (Shakespeare coined words, you know). Living with three guys (hubby and two sons), I believe I've come up with a few good ones:

Legonavigate: To pick out a path and walk around Legos strewn across the floor in an effort to keep from stepping on those building blocks and cursing the Danish. “I had to Legonavigate his room to reach the dresser.”

Pyrecreation: Setting things on fire – such as paper, twigs, crackers, Cheetos, etc. - for recreational amusement. “Our sons are engaged in pyrecreation with the fire pit on the back porch.”

Spocktacular: A statement or action revealing the overly analytical nature of a person such that they should be compared to the Star Trek Vulcan. “Dude, that was Spocktacular!”

So what do you think? Which of the above neologisms do you like? What neologisms can you offer? Have you heard any great ones lately?

I Like You, But I Hate Your Politics

It's Deep-Fried Friday, and my crunchy/juicy topic is politics! Am I crazy or what? Wait, read on.

News programs are already abuzz with constant discussion about the next President of the United States. From now until next November, presidential candidates, political pundits, media outlets, blogs, co-workers, friends, and neighbors will be discussing Election 2012.

I am blessed to live in a country where we can elect our leaders and speak freely about our political opinions, regardless of how astute or loony they might be. However, I recently threw up a post on my personal Facebook page with what I thought was a rather tame political comment, and a flurry of comments ensued. After things turned too sharp-tongued for my taste, I deleted my post and ceased the conversation.

What I realized is that I love my family and friends too much to start arguments over politics. I know people left of center, right of center, smack-dab in the middle, and so far left or right that the mere sight of each other might cause a fist fight.

The reality is that most of us care about our country, our families, and our communities. We want the best for all of them. We work hard, pay our taxes, give to charity and/or volunteer, and try to raise good kids with values. We happen to have a wide variety of ideas for the role of government in all of that.

It's wise to avoid stereotypes, name-calling, and yelling if you decide to discuss politics with a family or friend. Before you even start that conversation, ask what you’re trying to achieve. Do you merely want them to understand your position? Are you trying to persuade them? What is the likelihood of being able to make headway or find areas of consensus with this person? Is it worth it?

Three more things to remember as we edge closer and closer to choosing our next president and other leaders of our nation, states, and local governments:

Start making a difference where you are. Since we all want the good of our nation and society (however we think we can achieve it), we can start where we are. Volunteer at your local school, a charity, or even a political campaign, if you are moved in that direction. Consider giving money to a charity that represents your priorities – whether an animal rights organization, a cancer research fund, or a military family assistance project. Check out Amber West's #gowithoutcampaign.

If you know of someone in need, cook them a meal, lend an ear, or slip them a few bucks. Be sure to cast your vote whenever elections occur in your area, but go an extra step and do something tangible to make our country better by reaching out in your own area.

Remember that people are more than their politics. Unless your life is devoted to lobbying for a specific cause, you are likely engaged in plenty of other activities non-political. You take your kids to little league games or dance lessons, see the newest films or TV shows on the weekend, hobnob with co-workers at a restaurant after work, or head to the lake or beach.

Guess what? Those people sitting next to you, interacting with you, or acting on the screen for you do not all share your politics, and yet they are part of making life enjoyable. You really don’t know how each and every delightful person you come across voted in the last election. And you might be surprised if you discovered who voted for whom; it isn't always what you predict.

Treat others with civility, respect, and kindness. The surest way to have a society none of us wants to live in? Start verbal and physical brawls with everyone around who differentiates from your brilliantly-composed viewpoint. The ends do not justify the means.

You may be right, but if you are a complete jerk about it, few people will be persuaded by you and many won’t want to hang out with you. Yes, it is possible to passionately state your views, and I’m in favor of that. I am talking here about descending into name-calling (e.g., “idiot”), applying negative adjectives at will to their intentions (e.g., “heartless”), or labeling (e.g., “Nazi”). It’s the principle I tell my kids often: Treat others they way you want to be treated. (Yes, that's the “Golden Rule”!) Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, also says it well with the habit of “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

This gets us nowhere.

By all means, slap a bumper sticker and a sign in your yard touting your favorite candidate. Call into a talk show and give your two cents. Write your congressman and let them know what you think about this bill or that one.

But if you want to have a lovely Thanksgiving, I suggest sticking to the topics of fond family reminiscing, cute things your kids are doing, Black Friday shopping, and sports. Then again, if you live in Texas where I am and have fans of Texas A&M and the University of Texas present, you might end up with an even bigger brawl on your hands.

So what do you think is the secret to keeping good relationships with people whose politics make you want to scream? Have you ever had a bad experience with family and friends when you discuss elections or policies? How do you handle it?

By the way, I'm happy to support the campaign of Piper Bayard-Kristen Lamb for Election 2012. These authors got it goin' on.

A Lesson with Miss Pronunciation

"Listen up, class."
-Miss Pronunciation

It's time for AMAZE-ing Words Wednesday! Today’s word lesson will be taught by renowned language arts instructor, Miss Pronunciation. Miss Pronunciation will present the incorrect and correct ways of articulating some commonly mispronounced words in the English language. Without further ado, I hand our virtual classroom over to Miss Pronunciation.

AUTHOR

Arthur is a lovable aardvark featured in children’s books by Marc Brown and the PBS series of the same name and/or Dudley’s Moore drunken character from the movie Arthur (1981) which co-starred Liza Minnelli and gave John Gielgud a Supporting Actor Oscar. An author writes books. Please do not confuse the two.

ASK

An axe is a tool wielded for cutting down trees or butchering family members (e.g., Lizzie Borden). To ask is to inquire, query, request information.

ATHLETE

An ath-a-lete does not exist. Unfortunately, the additional syllable is often added by those simply unaware of the proper two-syllable version, athlete, or by such athletes who have been knocked in the head too many times.

ET CETERA

I believe that Excetera, or Ekcetera, is Superhero Elektra’s younger sister whose ninja skills didn’t quite make the cut to get her own comic line. Et cetera, pronounced [et set-er-uh], is the Latin phrase meaning “and so on” and is used to indicate more items in a list without naming them specifically.

Pic from Kevin at deviantart.com

IDEA

An ideal is a standard of perfection or excellence, while an idea is a notion or thought which pops into your mind like that light bulb above the cartoon character's head. What would be ideal is for people to pronounce idea without the added “l” since it is rather unnecessary and somewhat confusing.

LIBRARY

Libary is the command given to your dog Barry when you wish him to play dead for the amusement of your neighbors. A library (note the "r") is a public institution which collects and loans out books to residents who go the trouble of procuring a library card.

New York Public Library

MISCHIEVOUS

Mischievous is a word almost no one knows how to say. However, it does not have an ē sound anywhere in the word (no mischievEEous). Those who mispronounce it demonstrate a mischievousness all their own. Personally, Miss Pronunciation believes that the problem could easily be avoided by changing the spelling of this word altogether to mischuhvus.

PICTURE

A pitcher is what one uses to pour liquids into cups and glasses, as in “Bring me and my buddies another pitcher of beer!” If, however, you have too many pitchers, you and your friends will not be a pretty picture for long. Not only will your speech slur such that you can no longer get a “k” sound in before the “ch,” but nearby tables will ask you to leave or call the cab for you. (Drink responsibly. Or not at all.)

Johannes Vermeer's The Milkmaid
A piCture with a piTcher

SPECIFIC

The Pacific is an ocean or the region of islands in that ocean. Specific is something identifiable and particular. You may wish to be more specific in using this word by making sure that you include the requisite “s."

SUPPOSEDLY

If the good-looking guy across the hall asks whether you get ESPN because he wants to watch the game at your place, do not answer “Supposably I do.” That will be the last “I do” you say to him if he possesses pronunciation skills. In fact, he will supposedly find another young lady in the apartment building whose couch is comfortable and whose speech is clear. “Oh well,” you say, “I didn’t want a sports-obsessed couch potato anyway!” Perhaps, but you might want to shift that “b” to a “d” just in case the guy you adore wants to know if the Caribbean cruise passes through Acapulco, to which you would say, “Supposedly” as you pack your carry-on to join him.

Miss Pronunciation thanks you for your attention and hopes that this lesson has been enlightening and entertaining.

What other words have you heard mispronounced? Do you struggle with certain word pronunciations yourself? (Undoubtably Undoubtedly, it can be hard to break a habit!)