# Pitting Honeybadger **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 7, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183 "2018-03-07T15:40:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 47
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/921 "2024-02-20T01:20:42Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s funny because I’m American but I always prefer the spellings “grey” and “axe”. They just look correct to me and I don’t know why. You obviously have a Saxon ancestor who passed down genes of that _ƒlavour_… ---
**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 20, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/922 "2024-02-20T01:22:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > You obviously have a Saxon ancestor who passed down genes of that _ƒlavour_… ROFL… In truth my ancestry (according to my DNA) would lean heavily that way so who knows. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/923 "2024-02-20T01:40:48Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > > [@Riemann](#): > > > > US spelling is feces. > > Aside from the unnecessary _u_ in many words, I’m in agreement with you. Lots of wrds have letrs that are teknikly unnecessary,tho. Just ask our language exprt Dr Deth. Y rite out a bunch of unnecessary letrs like “an apple” when “a apl” is plainly enuf! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/924 "2024-02-20T01:43:31Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Just ask our language exprt Dr Deth. I think DrDeth might be on sabbatical, but he made a helpful video. DrDeth’s boss Andy delivering the line “the speech equivalent to just wearing underpants” is genius. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_K-L9uhsBLM/maxresdefault.jpg "Kevin's Small Talk - The Office US") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K-L9uhsBLM) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/925 "2024-02-20T01:46:03Z")
Those cute little proofs aren’t actually proofs. Oh, right. You just said that: > [@wolfpup](#): > > Just ask our language exprt Dr Deth. ---
**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 20, 2024, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/926 "2024-02-20T06:13:33Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Lots of wrds have letrs that are teknikly unnecessary,tho. that enuf that ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/927 "2024-02-20T20:31:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s funny because I’m American but I always prefer the spellings “grey” and “axe”. They just look correct to me and I don’t know why. For me, “grey” and “gray” sound slightly different; the “e” is produced toward the front of the lower jaw, while the “a” comes from up toward the back of the mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/928 "2024-02-20T20:54:25Z")
nm covered upthread ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/929 "2024-02-20T21:31:30Z")
I had a mini existential crisis as a seven or eight years old, when I was trying to spell the light black color, and looked for help from a display on one side of the room that had the colors and their names which spelled it “Gray” but then noticed on the other side of the room another chart from a different company that spelled it “Grey”. Having had it drilled into my head that there was a right way to spell words (and the way I spelled them was invariably wrong) this blew my little mind. ---
**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 20, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/930 "2024-02-20T21:53:41Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Having had it drilled into my head that there was a right way to spell words (and the way I spelled them was invariably wrong) this blew my little mind. You finally saw that the world isn’t black and white, but different shades of graey. (Or is it greay?) ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/931 "2024-02-20T22:50:26Z")
græy? gräy? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/932 "2024-02-20T23:29:37Z")
Gra-eh? ---
**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 21, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/933 "2024-02-21T00:00:54Z")
The Canadian spelling, gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/934 "2024-02-21T00:02:04Z")
It’s all roc and role to me. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/935 "2024-02-21T00:15:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It’s all roc and role to me. Quakers, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Sunni, Aspirin, Cocaine, LSD, Granite, Hoagie. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/936 "2024-02-21T01:08:40Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > For me, “grey” and “gray” sound slightly different; the “e” is produced toward the front of the lower jaw, while the “a” comes from up toward the back of the mouth. I think you’re right. For me, at least. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/937 "2024-02-21T02:10:20Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > For me, “grey” and “gray” sound slightly different; the “e” is produced toward the front of the lower jaw, while the “a” comes from up toward the back of the mouth. One is in [Received Pronunciation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation) and the other in [General American English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American_English) accents. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/938 "2024-02-21T04:52:47Z")
Oh, hey, so I’m not crazy after all! About that, at least. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/939 "2024-02-21T07:14:01Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > > [@Atamasama](#): > > > > It’s funny because I’m American but I always prefer the spellings “grey” and “axe”. They just look correct to me and I don’t know why. > > Same here. Me too… sorta. I always spell it “axe” but “grey/gray” I never know what to do so I randomly pick a spelling. But for the last 5 or 10 years I’ve been spelling words like “civilization” with an “s” instead of a “z”. It just feels correct. ETA > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I don’t even know which way I spell gre/a/y. I’m pretty sure it varies, and think it depends on the mood I’m in. This. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183/940 "2024-02-21T19:03:51Z")
Another vote for “Axe” and no particular way of spelling white-black. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-honeybadger/810183.md?page=48)