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Grunger

I know people in your part of the world stress all 3 syllables in words like violin, violet, violent etc.

I think I would pronounce violin as you do in formal speech, but usually I do say vile-inn.

I suppose the Times can authorise this in a crossword.

There was a clue recently with the homophone keto/Quito. I really liked that one; for one thing it's so different from the usual fodder. The fiddle clue, I didn't feel too strongly about one way or the other. It's not great, but it didn't spur me to post a gripe here either. The floor/flaw clue from last week really riled me up though.

Mathprofrockstar, I too quite like keto/Quito. I deliberately didn't start a conversation about the Vile Inn, as I felt I was moaning too often... but I was happy to see that others disliked it. I agree about Floor/Flaw and that one's even worse because it's a repeat offender - and riles me up every time!

I pronounce floor and flaw identically

Yes, Jono, I've always accepted that for many people the words do sound the same - but for many other people (in Scotland, the north of England, perhaps Wales) they are totally different. I''d just like to see 'by/for some' added to whatever the 'sounds like' indicator is. I wouldn't even demand or expect it all the time, just occasionally!

Thanks, Malone. Clearly it doesn’t work for Mathprof in the US either. Is the difference in ‘floor’ being pronounced more like ‘flew-er’ or something else?

Morning, Jono. My 'floor' is pronounced rather like 'flow', with an 'r' , verging towards 'er', added. My 'flaw' sounds like paw, caw and definitely has no R sound at the end.

I must get my eyes tested.

Malone, that's an interesting way of saying floor. I've never heard it before but then I'm not Scottish. I don't think it's too fanciful to think of it as a relic of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation. The word then was flōr, pronounced fl-oh-r (with the r sounded). A long time ago, I know, but a number of words of Anglo-Saxon and viking origin have been kept alive by the Scots.

Orso, the 'interesting' way to pronounce 'floor' is shared by probably at least 5 million British people - not all of them Scottish. My friends in the north (of England) certainly don't fall into the floor/flaw category. It might be a relic of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation - and it's a perfectly valid one for Chambers, so I just think of it as ... normal!

Malone

Yes your pronounciation of "floor" is also heard in some areas near here. I would say it is normal, although I regard my "flaw" as normal too.

Same with "poor". I say "paw" but poo-er is common here.