# It's coup de grace **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314 "2007-01-09T17:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/1 "2007-01-09T17:52:35Z")
Coup de grace, pronounced coo deuh grasse, not “grah”. And “added bonus” is redundant and repetitive. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/2 "2007-01-09T18:12:00Z")
If those silly French people would just spell things the way they’re pronounced (or vice versa), we wouldn’t have this problem. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/3 "2007-01-09T18:20:30Z")
Perhaps they were talking about a memorable appetizer? ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/4 "2007-01-09T18:35:26Z")
“coup de gras” is used at least twice in **Kill Bill Vol. 2**. Drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/5 "2007-01-09T18:35:47Z")
Why do they bother putting consonants at the ends of their words if they’re never going to pronounce them? And how come they get all the vowels wrong? Geez. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/6 "2007-01-09T18:36:28Z")
I’ve never heard coup de grass before. Always “coo day grah”. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/7 "2007-01-09T18:37:48Z")
Is that like coupe deville? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/8 "2007-01-09T18:37:50Z")
I’d feel pretty silly riding in a coo deuh vih. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/9 "2007-01-09T18:38:58Z")
… and apparently I’m not the only one. Shotgun! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/10 "2007-01-09T18:42:18Z")
I’ll remember this the next time I’m in detwaa. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/11 "2007-01-09T18:44:11Z")
[QUOTE=treis] I’ve never heard coup de grass before. Always “coo day grah”. [/QUOTE] Then you’ve been hearing it wrong. At least, from the French perspective. _Coup de grâce_ comes out as more or less “coo deuh grahsse”. The word pronounced “grah”, is the French word _gras_, which means fat. _Coup de gras_ would be what, slapped with a slab of lard? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/12 "2007-01-09T18:47:38Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] _Coup de gras_ would be what, slapped with a slab of lard? [/QUOTE] I don’t think that term would be entirely without utility. In fact, I’m going to file it away for my next pitting. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/13 "2007-01-09T18:47:51Z")
Ignorance fought. Even though I did take French a very long time ago, I always used the incorrect pronunciation, though “blow of fat” is an interesting image now that I think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/14 "2007-01-09T18:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=if6was9] Is that like coupe deville? [/QUOTE] No, no. That’s when you storm a village. _Coup de Gras_ is when you storm a bunch of overweight people. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/15 "2007-01-09T19:05:25Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] Why do they bother putting consonants at the ends of their words if they’re never going to pronounce them? And how come they get all the vowels wrong? Geez. [/QUOTE] 😛 In this case people must be going overboard to not pronounce the c (it’s French, must have to drop it!) when in fact it should be pronounced. Ironique, n’est-ce pas? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/16 "2007-01-09T19:06:51Z")
[QUOTE=treis] I’ve never heard coup de grass before. Always “coo day grah”. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I frequently hear it incorrectly too. And \*de \*is not _day_; it’s _d@_ (“@” = schwa). And _grace_, as pointed out above, rhymes roughly–very roughly–with _moss_. Kind of a cross between \*moss \*and the British _farce_. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/17 "2007-01-09T19:16:09Z")
All right, so how do you say Havre de Grace, MD? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/18 "2007-01-09T19:18:30Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] 😛 In this case people must be going overboard to not pronounce the c (it’s French, must have to drop it!) when in fact it should be pronounced. Ironique, n’est-ce pas? [/QUOTE] :dubious: I see an “e” after the “c”. Le whoosh! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/19 "2007-01-09T19:28:31Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] Le whoosh! [/QUOTE] I got it!\* That’s why the 😛 \*OK, sort of, it turns out maybe not really ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314/20 "2007-01-09T20:54:58Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] All right, so how do you say Havre de Grace, MD? [/QUOTE] Hava Disgrace. (I lived there. That’s what people there say. They’re idiots.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-coup-de-grace/387314.md?page=2)