# It wasn’t a coup **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 13, 2021, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407 "2021-01-13T05:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/682 "2021-02-02T14:50:02Z")
And the “r” in khaki. And what the hell colour is it? A light shade of brown with a yellowish tinge, or a shade of green known in the US as olive drab? I can’t keep up. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/683 "2021-02-02T14:53:34Z")
What a fine kettle of ghoti! (“gh” as in “enough”, “o” as in “women”, “ti” as in “nation”) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/684 "2021-02-02T15:00:26Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > who doesn’t laugh about “horse doovers” [whispers] I used to pronounce that “whores d overs”. [/w] ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/685 "2021-02-02T15:13:39Z")
> [@SingleMalt](#): > > What a fine kettle of ghoti! “gh” is only pronounced “f” at the end of a word, as in “enough” or “slough”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/686 "2021-02-02T15:18:52Z")
Or plough or sleigh or weigh or though, which we all know are pronounced “ploff”, “sleiff”, “weiff”, and “thoff”. English is easy when you know the rules. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/687 "2021-02-02T15:32:23Z")
A very interesting read in the Atlantic; the site paywalls but I think you can read some articles for free. > **[The Capitol Rioters Aren’t Like Other Extremists](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/the-capitol-rioters-arent-like-other-extremists/617895/)** > > We analyzed 193 people arrested in connection with the January 6 riot—and found a new kind of American radicalism. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/688 "2021-02-02T15:36:39Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > And the “r” in khaki. And what the hell colour is it? A light shade of brown with a yellowish tinge, or a shade of green known in the US as olive drab? I can’t keep up. I’ve never heard an R in khaki. It’s a Hindi word that is pronounced more or less like it is in Hindi [kʰaki] And it means “dust-colored.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/689 "2021-02-02T15:46:22Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > > [@gregorio](#): > > > > And the “r” in khaki. And what the hell colour is it? A light shade of brown with a yellowish tinge, or a shade of green known in the US as olive drab? I can’t keep up. > > I’ve never heard an R in khaki. It’s a Hindi word that is pronounced more or less like it is in Hindi [kʰaki] If you reverse-engineer “khaki” from a Boston accent, it’s the implement that lets you start your automobile. That has an R in it. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/690 "2021-02-02T15:47:08Z")
It’s . . . complicated. But it is a thing. Something that "left"tenant would probably say. I’m going to say I heard it in a WWII movie that had Brits, Canadians and probable some Aussies in it. Here’s some idle chatter and speculation on the web. I googled “khaki with an r sound”. [http://wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26724](http://wordwizard.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26724) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/691 "2021-02-02T15:52:49Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > And the “r” in khaki. And what the hell colour is it? A light shade of brown with a yellowish tinge I always heard it pronounced with an “r” growing up. And yes, light brown, not green. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/692 "2021-02-02T15:53:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > If you reverse-engineer “khaki” from a Boston accent, it’s the implement that lets you start your automobile. That has an R in it. That Boston pronunciation is known specifically for not having Rs in it. It’s a non-rhotic accent. If the Rs are dropped, then by definition there are no R sounds. The transcription would be [kaki]. Note the absence of any symbol representing a rhotic consonant. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/693 "2021-02-02T16:01:27Z")
I said REVERSE-engineer. A Bostonian who says “khaki” is talking about a _caR key_. I hate having to explain my jokes. It doesn’t do 'em any good. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/694 "2021-02-02T16:03:47Z")
Yo! Back to the topic, please. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/695 "2021-02-02T16:04:21Z")
They are trying to coup the thread with linguistics. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/696 "2021-02-02T16:04:56Z")
Ah, got it. So it _is_ a coup **e** after all. Disregard my earlier post. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/697 "2021-02-02T16:08:34Z")
> **[Off the Rails: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency](https://www.axios.com/2021/02/02/trump-oval-office-meeting-sidney-powell)** > > Four conspiracy theorists marched into the Oval Office on Dec. 18. Chaos ensued. Nothing to see here. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/698 "2021-02-02T16:23:26Z")
Holy shit, what a Powerball of crazy that Axios story is – not surprising at all. In fact, there was a disillusioned never Trump GOP operative who, months before the election, predicted that Trump might use the DHS to take possession of voting machines or boxes of ballots. It seemed like a misdirected effort at Hollywood script writing, but he apparently knew what he was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/699 "2021-02-02T16:37:23Z")
The NYTimes take on that meeting was a little more restained: > [@The American Coup: 11.9.2020 -](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1301): > > I just saw a few interesting things mentioned in this article in the NYT (sorry, it is paywalled) - [Trump Discussed Naming Sidney Powell as Special Counsel on Election Fraud](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/us/politics/trump-sidney-powell-voter-fraud.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage) Interesting parts of the article include: President Trump on Friday discussed making Sidney Powell, who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed a series of conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States, a special counsel investigating voter fraud, according to two people brie… (I’m citing a post because it quotes the salient parts typically hidden behind the NYT paywall.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/700 "2021-02-02T17:07:12Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > And what the hell colour is it? A light shade of brown with a yellowish tinge, or a shade of green “Yes.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407/701 "2021-02-02T18:43:58Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > No question. This is the single greatest threat to American Democracy we have faced. In my opinion, the sedition against John Adams was worse. Alexander Hamilton, according to at least one historian I’ve read, thought seriously about removing Adams from office. I believe those days were worse, and a greater danger, than the events of January '21. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasn-t-a-coup/930407.md?page=36)