IT SEMYSS SO SILLY!

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18045, 4 January 1927, Page 10

IT SEMYSS SO SILLY!

NAME TRAPS FOR THE UNWARY

Tf you were invited to dine with Lord Blyth, the peer whose house was recently burned down, how would you address him? If you spoke his name to rhyme with “Hythe,” “sheath,” “pitch,” or “writhe,” you would be wrong, says an English writer. It is pronounced Blv, and belongs to that large group of surnames whose spellings differ so amazingly from their pronunciations. Most people know that the verbal form of Cholmondeley is Chumley. A story is told of how Horatio Bottomley once called at the home of Lord Cholmondeley, and, in asking the butler if his master was in, pronounced the name as it is spelt. The butler said, loftily, “You mean Lord Chumley, “Ah, yes,” replied Bottomley. “Tell his lordship that Mr Bomley would like to speak to him.” Surprised the Sergeant. During the war a very aristocratic young man named Bayswater joined the Army as a private,. On parade he wore a monocle, and a furious sergeant yelled, “Private Bayswater, take off that window-pane!” In an injured voice the private replied, “Bassiter, sergeant. Bassister —not Bayswater!” An American woman who was being conducted round the country residence of Lord Beauchamp had heard that his name was pronounced Beecham, and said, “Say, but he must have made a real pile out of them pills!” It is impossible to say in many cafees why some names are given such queer forms in speech. Why, for example, does Marjoribanks become Marchbanks? And how many cricket enthusiasts refer to Mr Leveson-Gower by his proper style, which is LewsonGore? The surname of the “gloomy Dean” gives trouble to many people. It is neither Inje nor Ingy, but simply Ing: similarly Synge,, the name of the famous Irish playwright, should be spoken to rhyme with “ring.” Among peers anomalies in names are common. Earl Wemyss is called Weems; Lord Ystwyth is known as Ustwith: Lord Bertie of Thame beats them all—he is called Barty of Tame! Lord Bolingbroke and St. John would seem to have a straightforward name, but you would be committing a faux pas if you did not address him as Bullingbroke and Sinjun. Lord Moray and Lord Brougham also have names that look innocent enough; yet they are both traps for the unwary. The former is pronounced Murry and the latter Broom. Knollys, Bethune, and Pole-Carew are three more teasers, and, unless one knew, it would be impossible to guess their spoken forms, which are Nowls, Beeton, and Pool-Cairy. Forgot to Say Parwarden! In a recent examination paper, children under sixteen were asked to write the phonetic forms of the names Colquhoun, Meagher, and Belvoir. .1 f the same test had been set for adults, how many would have written Oohoon, Marr, and Beaver, which were the correct answers? And what would you make of Crespigny, Buccleuch, and Sandys? If spelt as they are pronounced the first would be Crepping, the second Buckloo, and the last Sands! Place names furnish further examples. Glamis and Hawarden Castles are known as Glahms and Harden respectively. The latter has been used in the following limerick with good effect:— A bashful young man of Hawarden Fell in love with demure Dolly Varwarden; He encircled her waist, He withdrew in some haste When she swore and forgot to say Parwarden 1

Motor buses, taking 13,000 persons every week into the business centre of Palmerston North, are so heartily welcome there that the local authorities have remitted the license fees, believing that the damage done to roads is off set by the increased prosperity they bring. A recent visitor to Palmerston North says that the local authorities, at a cost of £ISOO, are providing a clearing station for all road services. It is proposed to have parcel offices and other conveniences, even down to penny-in-the-slot gas rings, at which mothers may heat water or milk. Heavy rainfall in Auckland during the Christmas holidays provided the climax to an exceptionally wet } r ear, the rainfall for the twelve months being 02.98 inches, compared with the yearly average of 43.79 inches. The rainfall for last month was 6.39 inches, or 3.85 inches above the average for December, and within 2.20 ; inches of the wettest December, which : was in 1916. when the rainfall for the ; month was 8.59 inches. Rain

fell during the past year on 209 days. The heaviest fall during twentyfour hours was 3.40 inches, on May 19. That was the wettest month of the year, the total fall being 13.70 inches. October and November were also very wet, over seven and a half inches of rain falling during each month.