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  • From: BigLee Haslup <biglee AT haslups.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [internetworkers] The word that cannot be spelled.
  • Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 18:56:06 -0400

Earlier this week there was a thread about unpronounceably fun words. I thought I would share with the list the word that cannot be spelled. No, it is not the name of the "Artist Previously Known as Prince." It is a perfectly ordinary word (an adjective) that you know and may well have spoken without realizing that it has fallen into a crack between spellings and cannot be written down. Since it cannot be typed I must lead you to it.

A leg covered with hair is a HAIRY leg.

A foot covered with dirt is a DIRTY foot.

A nail that you step on is a RUSTY and POINTY nail.

An infected wound is full of pus; it is a ?? wound.

My brother brought this word to my attention. He is a doctor in Florida and he says that the common spelling for the word pronounced "puhs-ee" is "purulent". Some dictionaries claim it is spelled "pussie" but it is only spelled that way in dictionaries. Believe It Or Not!!

As for the Ten Unpronounceably Fun Words, I found them rather tepid. Most of them were mildly unusual words and several of them were ephemeral neologisms that may be in the dictionary now but will be obsolete by the next edition. The author needs to buy an OED and try again.

BigLee





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