# Words You've Read But Never Heard Said **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2024, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769 "2024-01-08T12:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/221 "2024-07-22T13:31:03Z")
“Sacroiliac.” I had to look that one up to learn that it’s pronounced “sack-row-ill-ee-ack” and not “su-croi-lee-ack.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/222 "2024-07-22T13:39:41Z")
Ok, the ‘croil’ part can be confusing. How did you get ‘su’ from ‘sac’? ETA: Luckily i heard the word before ever reading it. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/223 "2024-07-22T21:01:25Z")
I collected knives for several decades, so _tang_ (the hidden end of a knife blade) is a word I knew. It’s also used to great effect in the lyrics of _I Believe In You._“You’ve got that slam-bang tang reminiscent of gin and vermouth.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/224 "2024-07-23T00:08:31Z")
Chutzpah. Thought it was pronounced in the “obvious” way. But it’s apparently either hutzpah or kutzpah. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/225 "2024-07-23T01:52:56Z")
Heard that word a lot, but > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > hutzpah yes, or close > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > kutzpah not this; never heard anyone say that, and how would they arrive at it? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/226 "2024-07-23T02:03:58Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > not this; never heard anyone say that, and how would they arrive at it? AFAIK, it’s a sort of throat-clearing sound like the end of loch. “x” in IPA. Presumably this is the actual Yiddish pronunciation and either “h” or “k” is an approximant. Probably “h” is more popular. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/227 "2024-07-23T02:12:40Z")
I believe it is a 100% Aramaic word; no idea how it would be pronounced in Yiddish (but we are talking about English; anyway if it’s “x” as in “loch”, to me that sounds nothing like “k”) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/228 "2024-07-23T02:41:35Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > to me that sounds nothing like “k” Doesn’t sound anything like an “h”, either. But loch at least is usually approximated as lock in American English, not loh. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/229 "2024-07-23T03:04:27Z")
I talked to Poul Anderson , and he said most Americans cant get his name right- I tried “pool” and he said 'close". He said- just dont say “Paul”. Today I learned a new word- “golliwog.” Not a very nice word in many contexts. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/230 "2024-07-23T05:12:55Z")
I learned (I think this was right) from an aunt of mine a long, long time ago, while doing a crossword puzzle) that ecru was a kind of almost but not quite synonym for white,–maybe off-white or very light tan, near manila colored, but not really–and mainly used to describe or define paper products. Thus far, I’ve never much spoken or even written that word, but that’s my understanding of its meaning, ---
**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:** [July 23, 2024, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/231 "2024-07-23T06:11:32Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > AFAIK, it’s a sort of throat-clearing sound Like this? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aZZguKLWumY/maxresdefault.jpg "Spaceballs (1987) The Schwartz") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZZguKLWumY&t=12) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/232 "2024-07-23T07:08:27Z")
Same with ochre-I’ve read it used as a color description but no one’s said it. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/233 "2024-07-23T10:57:31Z")
> [@john\_b\_2](#): > > I learned (I think this was right) from an aunt of mine a long, long time ago, while doing a crossword puzzle) that ecru was a kind of almost but not quite synonym for white,–maybe off-white or very light tan, near manila colored, but not really… Ecru is specifically the colour of unbleached linen – light beige with a hint of yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/234 "2024-07-23T12:32:03Z")
Wotnot said it better than I did. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/235 "2024-07-24T01:53:15Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Same with ochre-I’ve read it used as a color description but no one’s said it. I first heard it in a [Cat Stevens song](https://youtu.be/3ROd71EgRNc?si=GQJZMwolx7o-4qta). ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/236 "2024-07-29T06:40:30Z")
Thank you,–re ecru–and it’s close to what I guessed. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/237 "2024-07-29T06:57:49Z")
Interesting, Balthisar. When I was younger. including young adult, I had trouble pronouncing any word that came from French, which I could read but never speak, due to something of an aversion to the way it sounds. Italian is easy for me, and due to coming from a somewhat musical family, plus having gone to junior high in a heavily Italo-American neighborhood, it became easy for me to understand. Also, whenever I’ve used Italian words or described something Italian (wine, food, music) around real born and bred Italians they immediately ask me if I’m one of them, or have some Italian ancestry, I have to truthfully say no, and then they’ve often praised my apparently natural way of using Italian words. Rather OT here , not intended as a thread hijack. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769/238 "2024-07-29T20:59:34Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Same with ochre-I’ve read it used as a color description but no one’s said it. You then never played the Board game Civilization! (lowest trading item) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-youve-read-but-never-heard-said/995769.md?page=11)