# Winnie 'ther' Pooh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864 "2010-09-24T11:56:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/41 "2013-11-28T07:06:44Z")
Yes. Kipling sometimes uses “ther” when he is indicating an over-stressed definite article, typically by a rustic speaker. And it most certainly wouldn’t be “Winnie, Sir Pooh” as suggested by the new poster; **Marley23** is dead right about that. (“Winnie, Lord Pooh” would be another matter…) ---
**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:** [November 28, 2013, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/42 "2013-11-28T11:34:09Z")
I still think Christopher Robin, when confronted with the uncomfortable fact that he had given a girl name to his boy bear, was twisting the narrative to put his father in the wrong, on account of he overlooked the significance of the word “ther” as it pertains to gender-to-name agreement. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/43 "2013-11-28T12:44:16Z")
Though not very many years later, Winston Churchill was affectionately called “Winnie” by his compatriots. Influenced, just possibly, by the male ursine character and his name? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/44 "2013-11-28T13:21:18Z")
I would also point out that at no point in the book is the former Edward Bear referred to as Winnie-Sir-Pooh by AA, but rather as Winnie-the-Pooh. Even if the quoted conversation wasn’t fictional, and actually one he had with the real Christopher Robin, I’m sure he’d know his own son’s speech impediment well enough to either figure out the real meaning or ask for clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/45 "2013-11-28T14:26:30Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > What’s the other way around? **dangermom** is saying that “Panther” to an American has a hard R at the end, but a Brit who is non-rhotic is going to make it rhyme with “An-the-uh”. I mean it’s not a case of the British accent _adding_ an R sound to Anthea, but taking it away from panther. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/46 "2013-11-28T20:28:04Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > To the OP, I’m still waiting to find out what “ **14 k of g in a f p d** ” means. > > [14 k of g in a f p d - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=398132) To lay this puzzle to rest, it’s **14 karats of gold in a Florentine [pietra dura](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietra_dura)** (an art piece made of highly polished and inlaid colored stones). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/47 "2013-11-28T20:33:23Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > To lay this puzzle to rest, it’s **14 karats of gold in a Florentine [pietra dura](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietra_dura)** (an art piece made of highly polished and inlaid colored stones). Well the letters surely fit. Makes me feel justified for believing there had to be _a_ solution. Excellent work, **cochrane**! I hereby nominate you for SDMB Sainthood! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/48 "2013-11-28T20:34:35Z")
In fact, it was our own **Chessic Sense** who came up with the answer. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14806960&postcount=37](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14806960&postcount=37) He should get the kudos. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/49 "2013-11-28T20:41:07Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > In fact, it was our own **Chessic Sense** who came up with the answer. > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14806960&postcount=37](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14806960&postcount=37) > > He should get the kudos. Maybe **SkipMagic** should reopen that monster thread long enough to post the answer. No point in having the answer just floating around in Limbo like it is. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/50 "2013-11-29T19:16:37Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I still think Christopher Robin, when confronted with the uncomfortable fact that he had given a girl name to his boy bear, was twisting the narrative to put his father in the wrong, on account of he overlooked the significance of the word “ther” as it pertains to gender-to-name agreement. Agreed. > [@Aspidistra](#): > > I mean it’s not a case of the British accent _adding_ an R sound to Anthea, but taking it away from panther. Right, it’s a case of the British person _adding_ an R **letter** that they have no intention of pronouncing. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864/51 "2013-11-30T01:29:41Z")
At least it means that Christopher Robin didn’t talk like Madea. Halleluyer! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winnie-ther-pooh/554864.md?page=2)