Last year I picked up a book called "Troublesome Words" (Penguin Books, 1984), by Bill Bryson, a well-known American humorist and linguist who's lived in England for many years. He covers various words that give us trouble, from the difference between who and whom to the difference between doubtless, undoubtedly and indubitably, how etcetera is used, etc.
And there under the S's, to my surprise, was Scalextric!
Scalextric, for the brand of miniature racing sets, is probably mispronounced more often than it is misspelled, but the unusual name is in either case worth noting.
(p 179)
Very true, and I always pity the poor announcers who have to pronounce Scalextric in their ads or the few TV shows on model car racing...
Bill Bryson is a very funny writer by the way, well worth reading.
Don
And there under the S's, to my surprise, was Scalextric!
Scalextric, for the brand of miniature racing sets, is probably mispronounced more often than it is misspelled, but the unusual name is in either case worth noting.
(p 179)
Very true, and I always pity the poor announcers who have to pronounce Scalextric in their ads or the few TV shows on model car racing...
Bill Bryson is a very funny writer by the way, well worth reading.
Don
