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Cloverjo, I like 'Bootses'!

I ‘m quite fond of a *

Welcome Marca - only 25,473 posts behind PCT now - Pedants of the World Unite!

Not 'for three' then?
Free blind mice, for example, is another of my pet hates!

In an episode of Inspector Morse many years ago, Sgt. Lewis said to someone "Can we come in"? Morse looked at it him with barely concealed contempt and said "MAY we come in" - It's funny the things one remembers!

Hi!
I have, for many years, been irritated by the misuse of "due to" and "owing to", although I realise that the distinction between the terms is, to all intents and purposes, meaningless in modern usage.
I regularly see signs such as, "The 8.19 train is cancelled due to staff shortage".

Tyke - on the subject of Hull and cold/curled, there is a Radio 4 comedy called To Hull And Back which introduced me to its local pronunciations. Maureen Lipman is a leading member of the cast.

Malone

Yes it is strange how the 's has become standard, so much so that Sainsbury themselves use it for their stores now. But Marks and Spencer are holding out.

By the way I loved the "thereat" in a Times clue the other day. I think it was

Perform sport and cheat thereat (4)

I am looking forward to a few "thereunder", "herewith", and so on in future clues

Tyke, Steve

I saw part of a programme the other night, and the presenter, a Yorkshire lass I think, mentioned the "poo - er" of York a few times.

I pronounce it as paw. "poo - er means something else here.

I was going to suggest a sub-section of Pedants United for pronunciation woes. I've had a rethink … pronunciation is so variable across the country, it doesn't seem right to include these differences in our gripes. I've not mellowed too much, I still don't like the use of alleged homophones in crossword clues when the 'homophone' is only possible if you live in a certain area.

Jigjag, I have never pronounced the 'poo' (in 'poor') as 'paw' in my entire life. That definitely seems Southern to me. My geography is so poor [!] that I often use 'south' to mean any place south of Scotland. Not very specific, I know!