Myzled
Excerpt from a letter Dorothy Parker wrote to Seward Collins while she was in New York Presbyterian Hospital. This quote exemplifies Parker's wit and acerbic tone, particularly her exasperation with pretension and affectation: “ And then there is the nurse who tells me she is afraid she is an incorrigible flirt, but somehow can't help it. She also pronounces ‘picturesque’ picture-skew, and ‘unique’ un-i-kew, and it is amazing how often she manages to introduce these words into her conversation, leading the laughter herself. Also, when she leaves the room she says, ‘see you anon.’ I have not shot her yet. Maybe Monday. ” — Dorothy Parker -- I was an early and avid reader. Like many who learn words through books rather than conversation, I picked up vocabulary in context and often got the pronunciation wrong. My worst case: I first encountered misled in a book describing deceit and, in my internal monologue, pronounced it “myzled”—by analogy with “sly.” Years later, hear...
