Unutterably Silly Quiz

[Bookpossum]

How about:

grey and gray
draught and draft
gauge and gage
quay and key

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

How about:

grey and gray
draught and draft
gauge and gage
quay and key

I thought a quay was a place were boats are moored and a key is what you open doors with, live and learn.

[Bookpossum]

You are quite right. But then there's the Florida Keys and Key Largo.

Or do those names come from cay?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

gaol UK / jail US


Stitchawl

Yes! I thought that would be one of the first.

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

How about:

grey and gray
draught and draft
gauge and gage
quay and key

Originally Posted by Bookpossum

You are quite right. But then there's the Florida Keys and Key Largo.

Or do those names come from cay?

Yes, a key is a cay not a quay.

We use gauge also, but since gage is accepted, I will too.

There's a three-way tie among pdurrant, Shayne Parkinson, and Bookpossum at three points each. Stitchawl has one point. It's still anyone's game. I can think of more unguessed than guessed.

The home team isn't doing that well; I suspect it's because the pernicious practice of translating English into English is more prevalent here. Or maybe we just can't spell.

[poohbear_nc]

Geoffrey and Jeffrey?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Geoffrey and Jeffrey?

I'm not allowing proper nouns, which given the odd spellings of kids' names these days is probably just as well.

Folks, you're missing some obvious ones. I'll toss out some hints in a bit if necessary.

[HomeInMyShoes]

What, no Geophrie?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm not allowing proper nouns, which given the odd spellings of kids' names these days is probably just as well.

Folks, you're missing some obvious ones. I'll toss out some hints in a bit if necessary.

dang! My brain just isn't coping with this question ...


boot and trunk?

[Shayne Parkinson]

Some of these may come under the "accepted pattern" exclusion, but here goes:
Jewellery/jewelry
Barbeque/barbecue
Disc/disk
Programme/program

[poohbear_nc]

metre and meter

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Shayne Parkinson

Some of these may come under the "accepted pattern" exclusion, but here goes:
Jewellery/jewelry
Barbeque/barbecue
Disc/disk
Programme/program

Jewellery falls under my double "l" exclusion.

With barbeque and disc, both variations are current in the US. Since I gave Bookpossum a point for gage but not for key, I'm going to give you one point for both. I hope that's fair to all parties!

I'm allowing programme, but no more "gramme" words!

Two more points, for a total of five.

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

metre and meter

Pooh dear, I think you must have had a bad week. With all your reading of the Brits, you should have been clean-up hitter for this side of the pond. You even regularly employ a Briticism I'd give a point for.

Sorry, no credit for metre; it's an excluded "accepted pattern."


A few random hints:

Think of parking a car and what you're bringing into proximity. Even think of your car's innards.

Think of a snug cottage and some attributes of said cottage, and maybe even sleeping there.

Or something else you might eat at that Texas barbeque/cue.

Lloyd George and Clemenceau had this in common; Wilson did not.

[orlok]

Storey (US) vs Story (UK)

[issybird]

Originally Posted by orlok

Storey (US) vs Story (UK)

Yes! Keep 'em coming.

Edit: That is, you've got them backwards, but I know what you mean.

[poohbear_nc]

whiskey & whisky?

tire & tyre?

[poohbear_nc]

Pooh dear, I think you must have had a bad week. With all your reading of the Brits, you should have been clean-up hitter for this side of the pond. You even regularly employ a Briticism I'd give a point for.

Well, I have had a lethal week at work ....

But maybe I've read so many Brits I don't notice them anymore?

Hmmm .... I regularly use: Egad!, whilst, gobsmacked ...