A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 21648, 9 March 1932, Page 6

A WORD A DAY.

COUPON. A coupon is a detachable certificate. In financial* transactions it denotes a document showing interest due .on bonds, which is so designed that a certain portion may be cut off and presented for payment whenever the interest is due. In more general usage a coupon refers to a section of any kind of ticket which grants one some special service or privilege. It is applied to a wide variety of forms, entitling the holder to consideration in trains, theatres, political conventions and the like. The French verb coupe.’ means to cut, to cut off. We clearly retain that general significance. The familiar style of automobile termed a “coupe” also takes its name from this French word. The manufacturers sensed the fact that it looked like a larger vehicle cut off. We follow the French pronunciation, but accent the first syllable instead of the second, cou-pon. This first syllable sounds like “coo”, not like “kew.” Sound ou as in tour, o as in on. "Retain your coupons after you have entered the theatre.”