Quote from: Westmarcher on 29 July 2021, 03:05:39 PM
I think you're right about Bombard-ee-ay, Mike (does sound more like it), but definitely not Queer-ass-ee-ay.* 

* I've revised mine and going for Koor-ass-ee-ay which I think this wummin is saying (enter "cuirassier" and click on the loudspeaker icon).

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=french+to+english&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Bombar-ee-ay and Koor-ass-ee-ay sound about right to me. Knew a few people who used to work for Bombardier in Belfast and that's how they said it....though that's not to say that's how the Canadians would also say it... 

This could fairly easily turn into a thread of "words that you've only ever read and come to realised they're pronounced entirely differently years later"

Quote from: fsn on 30 July 2021, 07:49:07 AM
But don't you think it's odd that you're not odd in a group of odd people?

Doesn't that make you ... odd?  :-

Yes 

Well that's ... strange.

If you need a rhyme for cuirassier, and if you're going with the French pronunciation, maybe you need to run it across two words and into the next line, eg:

There was a bold cuirassier
Too scared to go to war
Which one would not expect from such a classy e-
-lite corps.

There once was a bold cuirassier,
In battle he'd bellow and bray,
But each prospective bride
Found him shy and tongue-tied
And ended up walking away!

I see we have not dsolved this riddle yet

Go round it:

There once was a marshal called Ney
Who threw his cuirassiers away
They charged time after time
But never found a rhyme
So ended up losing the day

I changed it to "Dragoon".

Young Harvey, a noted dragoon,
rode into battle whilst waving a spoon,
I said "'pon my word,
why not use a sword?"
He replied "but lunchtime is soon!"

Magritte was a dashing Hussar
Whose costume was really bizarre
In busby and pelisse
His horse jumped a trellis
And his sabertache caught on the bar

Pronunciation requires flexibility

 

There once was a dashing young lancer,
Who everyone thought was a chancer.
Caught trying to hide,
Colonel took him aside
And said are you a mouse or a man, sir?

I could type the 'alternate' version of the British Grenadiers......But I won't....It's too rude.

(I'll put down the first line to see if it rings any bells, though.)

"Some die of drinking water, some die of drinking beer,"

Cheers - Phil.

Quoted in one of De Berniers' novels.

Quote from: Techno II on 31 July 2021, 06:23:37 AM
I could type the 'alternate' version of the British Grenadiers......But I won't....It's too rude.

(I'll put down the first line to see if it rings any bells, though.)

"Some die of drinking water, some die of drinking beer,"

Cheers - Phil.

Thats a VERY rude ditty Phil.