I just learned something new!
If so, it’s one more example of how a word changes its pronunciation due to its spelling. Other cases are “falcon” (Humphrey Bogart pronounced it as “fawcon”), “comfortable” (originally three syllables), and “victuals” (pronounced “vittles”).
Which one of these has changed, and to what?
I think I still say fawkin, kumftibil and vittles. Am I hopelessly old fashioned?
Around here, we say “falcon” more like “fowl-kin” (without so much of the “w” but with the shorter vowel). “Vittles” is quaint and old fashioned, I almost never hear it uttered.
‘Victuals’ came up in this thread after a pun by @KarlGauss. It may have always been pronounced as ‘vittles’ from an origin in Middle French as vitail. It’s rarely heard now aside from the Beverly Hillbillies. Many people may never have heard it’s actual pronunciation or assumed incorrectly it was a hillbilly variant that would be properly pronounced phonetically.
The word “victuals” is used about one-tenth as much as it to be. I never use it.
I love that the Ngram has a peak in the mid-'60s, thanks to Granny Clampett.
(In my first job out of school, my boss would say that he was going to get “victuals” when he went for lunch. He took it from Granny of Hillbilly fame. But I just assumed that was the redneck pronunciation of a word I’d only read).
My only other exposure to the word was with Tender Vittles cat food (kinda sorta maybe)
Vittles! As a little kid, I must have been watching too many Westerns. One time went into the kitchen asking “What kind of Grub do we got goin’ on for tonight, Ma?” Once. LOL
Candy corn was first popularized by the company we now know as Jelly Belly – in 1898.
I guess I never realized that “popularized” is a synonym for “made infamous”.
[Off Topic] I’ve wanted to mention for a long time that this is one of the greatest SDMB threads ever. I’ve had it bookmarked since the beginning in 2020, and I manually ported it in the transition from the old boards when the thread was still young. I have learned so many interesting things in this thread, from every subject and area imaginable, and isn’t that was this board is all about? So, good people of the SDMB, don’t ever let this thread die. (though we’re going strong towards 10k posts and surely will have a follow-up thread in the future) [/OT]
Well, they didn’t create the things. A company in Philadelphia was responsible for that.
I like candy corn, at least the premium brands like Brach’s. Not as good if it’s a cheap generic or stale. But they’re like Circus Peanuts- barely disguised pure sugar, when you’re in the mood for such.
Is the word “victual” related to “vital”? Like food or drink that is vital to live?
It may taste Candy Corn hasn’t changed, but in fact they make a new batch each year. It actually tastes that way when it’s fresh.
I’m pretty sure that they make them throughout the year but increase production for Halloween time. They have them in the Jelly Belly bulk bins all year long.
Yes. ‘Vital’ originates with Latin vitalis, ‘life’. ‘Victual’ from the related Latin vivere, to live. Other words like ‘vivid’ and ‘survive’ are related as well.
My aunt once got her holidays mixed up and put candycorn in the fruitcake.