# You better pronounce "greasy" correctly. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653 "2003-01-10T02:05:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/1 "2003-01-10T02:05:13Z")
Or I will get all ugly on your hick self. The beagle household was watching **Good Eats** tonite on the TiVo…it was the casserole episode. So far, so good. Then it happens. This hacks me worse than the “lose/loose” debacle…or the “nuke-you-ler/new-clear” mess. Alton Brown said that “word”. He said…ahem… **GREEZY**. Dammit Alton, there ain’t no such word as “GREEZY”. “Greasy” is prounced “Greece-ee”. There **is** such as thing as GREASE. There is no such thing as GREEZE…ergo the word is prounced “Greece-ee”. You know what. I went to [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) and looked up Greasy. They list 2 pronounciations, the second one being “Greezy”. I don’t care. They’re trailer trash as well if they can’t see that “greasy” is derivative of “grease” mrs beagledave thinks it’s a hoot to sneak in the incorrect pronunciation of the word to see if I’m paying attention. mrs beagledave apparently comes from hillbilly stock, and ours is a pitty marriage. Our 18 month old daughter has yet to say either version of the word. If she chooses the wrong version… **someone** will be contacting DCFS. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/2 "2003-01-10T02:08:44Z")
Who pities whom? ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/3 "2003-01-10T02:10:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Who pities whom? \*\* mrs beagledave’s cousin eh? figures. ---
**Author:** ![BrightEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@BrightEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightEyes)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/4 "2003-01-10T02:11:30Z")
Jesus, don’t be such a jerk about a simple word mispronounciation… ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/5 "2003-01-10T02:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BrightEyes \* > \*\*Jesus, don’t be such a jerk about a simple word mispronounciation… \*\* Jesus, learn to recognize a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/6 "2003-01-10T02:13:04Z")
But if you say it your way, it loses its ‘sleazy’ connotations, which can be very important. Personally, I think the pronunciation chosen should match the meaning. ex: This cheeseburger is greasy (greece-ee). Jimmy Swaggart is greasy (greez-ee). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/7 "2003-01-10T02:15:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beagledave \* > \*\*mrs beagledave’s cousin eh? > \*\* If she were my cousin, she’d be my wife not yours! ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/8 "2003-01-10T02:18:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*If she were my cousin, she’d be my wife not yours! \*\* 😃 Good 'un Actually, her father is from eastern Tennessee and she jokes about her “hillbilly roots” (even though she was born and grew up in Chicago) ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/9 "2003-01-10T02:43:00Z")
Worse, one of our local morning news anchors pronounces the word “deputy” as “deppity.” Discuss amongst yourselves. This may become a future pit thread if I become drunk enough. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/10 "2003-01-10T03:24:36Z")
You, sir , live on the dividing line of regional dialects. The Iowa-Missouri line is the divide between the German and Norwegian language influenced “Greece-ee” dialect zone and the Appalachia influenced “Gree-zee” zone. From Interstate 80 to Interstate 70 there are pockets of local speach holding out but thery are becomming submerged by the accepted speach patterns of local TV 6:00 news speach–usually called “Eye Witness News” inflection. Generally the same boundaries also apply to the great wash-wahrch dicotomy. Your only hope for your child is to watch local news TV originating from points well north of Davenport, like Bettendorf or Savanna. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/11 "2003-01-10T03:41:26Z")
Gree- zee. Absolutely. No other way to pronounce it. Unless you’re an American and you lot pronounce stuff weird. Greezee greezee greezee greezee! Easy to pronounce… how the fuck do you pronounce easy? Ee-zee like us civilised folk or weirdly like greasy? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Thylacine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thylacine/32/1143_2.png) [@Thylacine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacine)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/12 "2003-01-10T04:01:13Z")
bloody septics have no concept of proper lingo and ways to say stuff oi flora? eeezeeee, peeezeeee, its greezeee but z is zed, never zee ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/13 "2003-01-10T07:21:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spavined Gelding \* > \*\* > Your only hope for your child is to watch local news TV originating from points well north of Davenport, like Bettendorf or Savanna. \*\* Joke right? Our three local new stations cover the Quad Cities. Which would include Bettendorf. Well north? Anyways Dave, what have we discussed about picking on us hillbillies? 'Member I’m from the original Hatfield clan.😃 I go back and forth on the way I say it depending on what I am saying. I will try to refrain from slipping into hillbilly mode around you. But, remember I’m only a few blocks away and I’m sure between my five heathens and your Mrs. with the hill background we can teach the Walking One that shoes are just no good. (I adore the pictures keep the comming please!) ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/14 "2003-01-10T08:00:23Z")
A ‘thirder’ to what **Primaflora** and **Thylacine** said. It’s GREE-ZEEE or it’s not worth eating. 😃 Youse Yanks really have NO understanding of the English language do ya?? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/15 "2003-01-10T08:05:22Z")
There seems to be a misconception here that one dialect is acceptable and another is not. There is no standard dialect, kiddies. The dialect that you are most likely to hear on national programs is a Midwestern dialect. That is because most of the original broadcast schools were located in the Midwest. Southerns are _encouraged_ by outsiders to ham it up. Then outsiders laugh because they think we are stupid. And we laugh because they have shown their asses. I say greezy. Some people say greesy. Either is correct. 'Nite ya’ll. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/16 "2003-01-10T08:06:41Z")
Oops! Make that “y’all”! ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/17 "2003-01-10T08:27:13Z")
Oh for gawd’s sake **Zoe** , lighten up girl. There is NO ‘midwest’ in any of the other English-speaking countries of the world, and, just by the way, there are more of US out there than there are of YOU… We’re having a bit of a ‘go’ at you and your funny accents. Don’t start getting all serious on us will ya…sheeeeeesh. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/18 "2003-01-10T11:55:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thylacine \* > \*\*bloody septics have no concept of proper lingo and ways to say stuff oi flora? > > eeezeeee, peeezeeee, its greezeee > > but z is zed, never zee \*\* Oh play fair! I am sure **Beagledave** is not " **septic** , or at least I hope not. The very thought of this poor septic beagle maks me feel QUEASY. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/19 "2003-01-10T12:52:28Z")
Spavined Gelding is on to something. From [here](http://www.bartleby.com/61/68/G0246800.html)… > [@](#): > > One of our most notable regional distinctions is the “greasy-greazy” line. It is famous among scholars of American dialects for marking a clear division between major dialect regions of the United States. In the North and West, greasy is pronounced with an (s) sound; in the Midlands and South, it is pronounced with a (z). According to the Dictionary of American Regional English, the “greazy” region extends from the deep South to southern parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and all of Missouri, Texas, and New Mexico. The verb grease also follows this pattern, although not the noun grease, which is pronounced with an (s) sound everywhere. A few Southerners also use (z) in blouse. The (z) pronunciation is so stable and so characteristic of Southern dialects that dialect scholars use it to trace the migration of Southern speakers into other dialect areas, such as Colorado, Oregon, and California. Don’t tell me that you hillbillies use a **z** in BLOUSE ? Good lord. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653/20 "2003-01-10T12:56:34Z")
“greezy” just sounds… wrong. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-better-pronounce-greasy-correctly/147653.md?page=2)