# "Bohemoth"? Am I missing something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939 "2002-10-19T03:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/1 "2002-10-19T03:30:40Z")
Recently, while listening to NPR on my daily commute, I’ve heard people refer to things that are really really big as “bohemoths” – pronounced “bo-HEE-muth”. Long “O”. Today was probably the third time in as many weeks that I’ve heard the pronunciation. I’d always thought the word was “behemoth” – pronounced “BE-a-muth” or “buh-HEE-muth”. Am I missing something? Is there such a word as “bohemoth”? (My dictionary is packed away at for the time being.) Or is this a widespread mispronunciation like “nuke-yoo-lur”? (Which, BTW, I find harder to say _incorrectly_ than correctly.) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/2 "2002-10-19T03:48:17Z")
It’s a common mis-pronounciation. Unless you are really hearing “Bocephus” or something. He got pretty big too. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/3 "2002-10-19T03:52:34Z")
I’m sure they were talking about some kind of nucular bohemoth. I seen the pictures at the libary. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/4 "2002-10-19T04:10:56Z")
Weird that I haven’t heard it pronounced correctly recently. **yojimboguy** : _LOL_ ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/5 "2002-10-19T05:51:17Z")
I think people get it mixed up with bohemian ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/6 "2002-10-19T14:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Manduck \* > \*\*I think people get it mixed up with bohemian \*\* Flash image: _huge_ guy with a beret and a bad goatee… ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/7 "2002-10-19T15:15:24Z")
> **[Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's most-trusted online dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/)** > > The dictionary by Merriam-Webster is America's most trusted online dictionary for English word definitions, meanings, and pronunciation. #wordsmatter > [@](#): > > Main Entry: be·he·moth > Pronunciation: bi-'hE-m&th, 'bE-&-m&th, -"mäth, -"moth So you can pick: bih-HEE-muth BEE-uh-muth You cannot, however, pick: bo-HEE-moth BO-hee-moth One vote here for “it’s like the newkular thing”. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/8 "2002-10-20T01:20:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimboguy \* > \*\*I’m sure they were talking about some kind of nucular bohemoth. I seen the pictures at the libary. 😛 \*\* WEre you at the libary in Febuary? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/9 "2002-10-20T02:05:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*It’s a common mis-pronounciation. Unless you are really hearing “Bocephus” or something. He got pretty big too. \*\* Can’t seem to find the word “Bocephus” at [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com). Who/what was it? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/10 "2002-10-20T02:12:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\* > > Can’t seem to find the word “Bocephus” at [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com). Who/what was it? \*\* It’s Hank Williams Jr.'s nickname, IIRC. (Ignore the fact that I live in TN, I have **no** love of country music.) ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/11 "2002-10-20T02:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*Can’t seem to find the word “Bocephus” at [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com). Who/what was it? \*\* This source claims Hank Williams (father of Randall, who is now known as Hank Jr.) took the name from the dummy used by a ventriloquist who performed at the Grand Ole Opry: [http://www.behindthename.com/wwwboardarc/messages/4491.html](http://www.behindthename.com/wwwboardarc/messages/4491.html) This page identifies the ventriloquist in question as Rod Brasfield (cached copy used for ease of reference): [http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:4o7BcwG7Cb0C:users.netconnect.com.au/~merom/CntryCom.htm+%2B+"Bocephus"+%2B+"ventriloquist"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8](http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:4o7BcwG7Cb0C:users.netconnect.com.au/~merom/CntryCom.htm+%2B+%22Bocephus%22+%2B+%22ventriloquist%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/12 "2002-10-21T13:22:22Z")
Hmmm. . . If the Bojangles chain ever wants to make a really, really big biscuit, that would be a good name–the Bo-Hemoth ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/13 "2002-10-21T15:25:39Z")
My first car was called the Behemoth by my friends-- buh-hee-moth. But I’ve heard this type of thing before. It takes one influential person to mispronounce a word, and radio/TV people jump on the bandwagon. I still cringe at people who say “an historic” as “ann HISS-toric”. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/14 "2002-10-21T16:55:47Z")
Steven Wright’s radio voiceover in “Reservoir Dogs” made reference to a “bo-he-meth monster truck rally” or the like. I’d suspect for at least some people this mispronunciation is the only pronunciation they’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/15 "2002-10-22T19:45:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shoshana \* > \*\* > > WEre you at the libary in Febuary? \*\* There’s nothing wrong with the “Febuary” pronunciation. From [dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=february): **Although the variant pronunciation (fby-r) is often censured because it doesn’t reflect the spelling of the word, it is quite common in educated speech and is generally considered acceptable . . .** [Merriam-Webster](http://www.m-w.com) actually lists this pronunciation first. This Roman Meal bakery thought you should know. RR ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/16 "2002-10-23T06:49:59Z")
I’ve seen “bohemoth” written on this board by people so well educated that I’d be inclined to take their word over the dictionary’s. However, if it’s a variant, it’s not in any dictionary I’ve seen yet. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/17 "2002-10-23T11:24:08Z")
Looming out of the mists next - the mighty Lethiavan. (3 hits on google, but just wait a while!) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/18 "2002-10-23T12:01:10Z")
More garblings from Google: “in lament terms”/“in laments terms”/“in lament’s terms”: 38, 63, and 12 hits respectively. (I came across “in lament terms” just the other day and thought, “Surely nobody else is that dumb” - but of course they are…) and the old favourite: “for/to all intensive purposes”: 4,130 hits for “for”, 120 for “to”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/19 "2002-10-23T12:04:04Z")
Oh, and a late showing of 32 hits for “in lame terms” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939/20 "2002-10-23T13:17:26Z")
Continuing the hijack… I’ve heard some people say “ortopsy” (instead of “autopsy”). Google returned eight pages, two of which are foreign, one which points out that “ortopsy” is not a word, and one that meant to say “or Topsy”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemoth-am-i-missing-something/132939.md?page=2)