English as she is spoke.

[Nathan deGargoyle]

I take it you already know
of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you
on hiccough, thorough, slough and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead; it's said like bed, not bead.
For goodness sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat,
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt)

A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose --
Just look them up -- and goose and choose,

And cork and work and card and ward
And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go and thwart and cart --
Come, come, I've hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Man alive,
I mastered it when I was five.

[Nathan deGargoyle]

I must admit to being unsure of "slough" as in "Slough of Despond". Sluff or Sl-Ow!? A contestant on Universty Challenge recently answered "The sluff or sl-ow! of despond", covering his bases. Jeremy didn't correct him which suggests he's not sure either.

It really spoils my reading Pilgrim's Progress, which, of course, I do regularly.

[marv]

"Sluff" as in what snakes do with their old skins.

[Daz Madrigal]

Its most commonly said as Slough.

I think it arose after a few people had visited the place. Snakeskins are another sluff altogether. Actually awhile ago a broadcaster was taken to task for pronouncing it 'sluff'.

I'm not sure whether its important enough to google.

[gus2]

madrigalman said:

Its most commonly said as Slough.

I think it arose after a few people had visited the place. Snakeskins are another sluff altogether. Actually awhile ago a broadcaster was taken to task for pronouncing it 'sluff'.

I'm not sure whether its important enough to google.

Can you google google?

gus

[Daz Madrigal]

Theres no point cos your already on google so it'll just take you back to where you were then

This thread might be the best place to write down some of my favourite usernames.

Helena Handcart is my current favourite.

..and then I had a lovely and polite invitition off a Miss Winifred Plowright to look at her amazing new videos. I think she mentioned some thing about being a ventriliquist as well. Or was it contortionist? Dirk will know her....ask him?

[Alexia]

madrigalman said:

I'm not sure whether its important enough to google.

Not important "enough", or not important "enuff"?

[Nathan deGargoyle]

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow! (or should that be enough?)

[e e e cummings]

I would have replaced Paradise Now with "Slough" because they have the same meaning.

if it don't rhyme you aint took the time (and effort)