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Who do people insist on spelling 'arse' as 'ass'?

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Please assist me in solving this perplexing trend.

[no Haitches]

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:32 (twenty years ago)

'Cause that's how it's pronounced.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

Have you heard of a place called America?

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

We live in the USA, duh.

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:40 (twenty years ago)

well kiss my grits!

― Ô¿Ô (eman), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:41 (twenty years ago)

hahaha the adam crankypants meme rises again!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:41 (twenty years ago)

It comes down to aesthetics:
ass= hot
arse=pimply

― estela (estela), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

We live in the USA, duh.

5% of the world does. Anyway I'm not talking about Americans.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:43 (twenty years ago)

Who does this who isn't an American??? Canadians?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

How can anyone say "arse" with a straight face?

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

Who do people insist on spelling 'arse' as 'ass'?

syntax error:/

― Ô¿Ô (eman), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

This is about the word 'arse', not about the word 'ass'. Please read the thread title again. God.

[not you rockist_scientist]

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

we can't be arsed to spell it correctly, sorry LOL

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:46 (twenty years ago)

the thread title question makes no sense: Who do people insist????

― Ô¿Ô (eman), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:46 (twenty years ago)

Okay, from this point on you have to pretend the title says this:

Why do people insist on spelling 'arse' as 'ass'?

Sorry.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

Ok fine, WHAT PEOPLE WHERE?

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

I don't really understand how you can tell someone is spelling "arse" as "ass" rather than just spelling "ass" as "ass." Even if the writer is British, maybe they are writing "ass" because they mean "ass"? (Am I missing something here that would make sense to an ILE regular?)

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:49 (twenty years ago)

People who say 'arse' but spell it 'ass'.

[xpost]

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:49 (twenty years ago)

i thought 'arse' was like a cute, nice way for british and australian people to spell it, to be more polite. your pronunciation isn't that different.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

The pronunciation is completely different.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:51 (twenty years ago)

nuh uh

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

My aunt says "warsh" but spells it "wash." Maybe you could ask her.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

you don't get to make up your own spelling just because you pronounce it differently anyway.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:53 (twenty years ago)

Um, get a dictionary Caitlin.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:54 (twenty years ago)

i'm not sure what you mean by that.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:54 (twenty years ago)

Pretend he's mooning you and flipping you off with both hands.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:55 (twenty years ago)

What I mean by that is you seem to think there's no difference in pronunciation, where there clearly is.

[xpost]

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

wait, are arse and ass two different words? i'm getting tired.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

ja

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:58 (twenty years ago)

you don't get to make up your own spelling just because you pronounce it differently anyway.

Wait, are you American?

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)

Are you being an ass or an arse if you get angry with people on the internet who think you are splitting hairs about unimportant things?

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 18 July 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)

i'm getting angry at myself for this. yes i'm american. sorry.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:00 (twenty years ago)

Are you being an ass or an arse if you get angry with people on the internet who think you are splitting hairs about unimportant things?

Dunno. Same as people who trash threads they don't care about, I guess.

Caitlin: Don't apologise, I just didn't know :)

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:00 (twenty years ago)

i have ALWAYS thought they were the exact same word! ok bye.

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:02 (twenty years ago)

Damn. Wish I could pronounce stuff here.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:02 (twenty years ago)

I guess I just have no clarse.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:03 (twenty years ago)

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!!!

Arse - nasty
Ass - shake that

― Mike Stuchbery (Mike Stuchbery), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:05 (twenty years ago)

It comes down to aesthetics:
ass= hot
arse=pimply

yes!! this is the most obvious argument. no-one wants to "tap dat arse", let's be honest.

sadly adam will not accept he is WRONG on this issue, I've seen it stretch across several messageboards for about three years now!

― haitch (haitch), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:05 (twenty years ago)

I said "no Haitches" for a reason.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:06 (twenty years ago)

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1560/cambridgebum3fu.jpg

hth

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:07 (twenty years ago)

I think that anyone who doesn't live in a sheltered workshop for internet spelling pedants is pretty comfortable with the dual usage of "ass" that is common nowadays.

― haitch (haitch), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:15 (twenty years ago)

Whether or not 'arse' is the correct spelling of 'arse' isn't an issue. The issue is why people keep getting it wrong.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:17 (twenty years ago)

I dunno about anyone else but I pron "ass" and "arse" the same:

phon: "arrzs" (more or less). IOW I dont ever say "ass" and use an american accent...

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

Unless I'm speaking of a donkey, which is an "ass" (pron. as spelt.)

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:19 (twenty years ago)

phon: "arrzs" (more or less).

Yeah that's 'arse' :)

IOW I dont ever say "ass" and use an american accent...

[xpost agh bugger] It's not the accent, it's the pronunciation of the word itself. Like how we say 'ass' as in donkey-like thing.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:20 (twenty years ago)

I live with an American and my apartment is officially annexed to the USA and Caitlin and I sit around all day saying things like 'ASSSSSS', 'Diaper' and 'Faucet'.

― Mike Stuchbery (Mike Stuchbery), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:20 (twenty years ago)

Look to clear up the confused americans here I'll explain Adam's mad point:

Aussie slang would ask that the word be spelt "arse", as pronounced, coming as it probly does from UK slang.

Yet you see a lot of aussies SPELL (not say) it as "ass", and Adam is upset at this because he is railing 'gainst the Americanisation of the Aussie lingo, strewth cobber, ya bloody got me?

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:21 (twenty years ago)

When I was a kid, I thought the fuzzy green grump in the garbage bin's name was "ask-her the grouch".

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

um, wtf?

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

Two separate words, two separate pronunciations. It's nothing to do with accents or nationalisation.

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 18 July 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 97 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I do have no idea what you're on about. It must be an Australian thing that there are people who pronounce it arse yet spell it ass. I spell both variants the way I say them, and use them in roughly equal frequency. Ass is better in some contexts, in others it just sounds unnecessarily American.

― Alba, Monday, 7 July 2008 23:43 (seventeen years ago)

I never say "ass" american style, I feel ridiculous.

― Trayce, Monday, 7 July 2008 23:54 (seventeen years ago)

i can't even imagine someone with an english or australian accent saying 'ass'. That would sound ridiculous. and unnatural

― sonderborg, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:05 (seventeen years ago)

unless you're quoting bender

― electricsound, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:06 (seventeen years ago)

I say it all the time but who knows, I may well be fairly ridiculous and unnatural.

― Just got offed, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:07 (seventeen years ago)

...

― electricsound, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:08 (seventeen years ago)

sonderborg: It does, but that's a whole separate thing.

― Autumn Almanac, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:15 (seventeen years ago)

Oh, I've been slow in comprehending AA's point. Yeah, of course it's stupid spell "arse" as "ass". But it's easier to use "ass" than "arse". We need a new thread for that one tho.

― Just got offed, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:20 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah. This is all about the spelling.

― Autumn Almanac, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:22 (seventeen years ago)

Yes, well I'd say badass but smartarse, for example.

And then there's the old-fashioned ass to consider. If I say "Don't be an ass", it's probably a donkey, not a bum, but really, who knows?

― Alba, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:22 (seventeen years ago)

See for me its easier to say "arse". Unless, like Jim sez, I'm quoting Bender (haha), ie mimicing US accent, or singing. I'm hardly going to sing "I see you baby/shaking that arse", now am I?

― Trayce, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:22 (seventeen years ago)

Mind you I dont say "badass" american accent style! I dont say "badarse"... but I say "badahss", I suppose. If I ever say it at all, which is never, so um... what was my point.

― Trayce, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:24 (seventeen years ago)

i say and spell it ass, i hate the appearance and sound of arse, it invokes ugly images of hungover men in blue undies standing on balconies in byron bay scratching their testicles and squinting forlornly at the sea.

― estela, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:27 (seventeen years ago)

that'd be the butt bob

― electricsound, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:30 (seventeen years ago)

Adam can't shake this 'ass' thing.
lol, missed this first time around, bravo mikey

― haitch, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:32 (seventeen years ago)

i deffo stand by this:

I think that anyone who doesn't live in a sheltered workshop for internet spelling pedants is pretty comfortable with the dual usage of "ass" that is common nowadays.

― haitch, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:35 (seventeen years ago)

Mind you I dont say "badass" american accent style! I dont say "badarse"... but I say "badahss"

It's pronounced:

http://www.nanarland.com/acteurs/mariovanpeebles/image21.jpg

― Pancakes Hackman, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:41 (seventeen years ago)

oh estela

― Autumn Almanac, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:47 (seventeen years ago)

b.a. jaggah

― dell, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:48 (seventeen years ago)

i say and spell it ass, i hate the appearance and sound of arse, it invokes ugly images of hungover men in blue undies standing on balconies in byron bay scratching their testicles and squinting forlornly at the sea.

Estela, you are a treat.

― Alba, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 00:57 (seventeen years ago)

If estela ever irks you, the ultimate revenge can be taken by saying 'arse' at her.

― Autumn Almanac, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 01:00 (seventeen years ago)

Antiquing?

― Trayce, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 01:26 (seventeen years ago)

spelt

I'm more curious about this spelling. I used it once in a paper and the prof was all "'Spelt' is a grain". Merriam-Webster doesn't list it but now I think that maybe I didn't invent it.

― Sundar, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 02:35 (seventeen years ago)

I thought spelled was a past simple and spelt was a past participle, but I could be wrong.

US English isn't big on past participles, which is probably why yr M-W doesn't list it.

― Autumn Almanac, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 02:51 (seventeen years ago)

Spelt and spelled are both acceptable in UK English. Dunno about US.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 8 July 2008 07:04 (seventeen years ago)

two months pass...

ARARRARGRGAGRGHARGHH KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL

― ŒƔƛƺȸɚɮʥᶄⱤstⱥ അുൠᚥ௸௵ⵞৠﬗѬ҈҉Ԋੴߥᚔଫ (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 18 September 2008 21:44 (seventeen years ago)

stop reviving anus threads

― crut (Curt1s Stephens), Thursday, 18 September 2008 21:45 (seventeen years ago)

four months pass...

srsly <3 u lj but son

― Donate your display name to Gaza (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 31 January 2009 22:06 (seventeen years ago)

i have a semi-automatic oed and i'm not afraid to use it

― Donate your display name to Gaza (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 31 January 2009 22:10 (seventeen years ago)

good arse fact: a common type of songbird called a "wheatear" is not named after ears of wheat; its title is in fact a derivation of "white arse", for that is the colour of said bird's rump

good wheatear fact: the "cyprus pied wheatear" is cyprus' only endemic species of bird

good cyprus pied wheatear fact: i have seen this bird on familial visits, it is delightful

good i fact: i sometimes use the word "ass" instead of "arse", it's true :(

― america is the only _______ that _______ (country matters), Saturday, 31 January 2009 22:12 (seventeen years ago)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41798000/jpg/_41798970_usa416.jpg

― as much dandelion as you can put in there (latebloomer), Sunday, 1 February 2009 03:40 (seventeen years ago)

colour me arse

― PappaWheelie V, Sunday, 1 February 2009 04:02 (seventeen years ago)

Between this, the lastfm and the shouty 77 thread I am starting to wonder if everyone on ilx is touched in the head.

― Trayce, Sunday, 1 February 2009 06:38 (seventeen years ago)

I wish American's could use the phrase "can't be arsed" because it so precisely describes the feeling. Well, I could use it, but it would feel like a big fucking affectation.

― i'm shy (Abbott), Sunday, 1 February 2009 23:02 (seventeen years ago)

It is such a useful phrase :D

― Trayce, Sunday, 1 February 2009 23:08 (seventeen years ago)

A reason to be grateful for being Australian!

― i'm shy (Abbott), Sunday, 1 February 2009 23:15 (seventeen years ago)

four years pass...

Just realized that Ziggy Stardust had a god-given ass, not a god-given arse. Bowie understood.

― how's life, Monday, 19 August 2013 11:42 (twelve years ago)

u say tomato and i say tom-ass-to

― 'Understand, your daughter's addiction is not your problem' (Bananaman Begins), Monday, 19 August 2013 12:09 (twelve years ago)

lol

― how's life, Monday, 19 August 2013 12:31 (twelve years ago)

why do people insist on saying "newsy wewsies" as "news"?

― k3vin k., Monday, 19 August 2013 13:15 (twelve years ago)

Just realized that Ziggy Stardust had a god-given ass, not a god-given arse. Bowie understood.

"He was the Narze / with god-given arse"

― Tommy McTommy (Tom D.), Monday, 19 August 2013 14:43 (twelve years ago)

nine years pass...

Asshole first attested 1935.

― stank viola (Neanderthal), Friday, 7 October 2022 14:57 (three years ago)

I Just Died in Your Arse Tonight

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 October 2022 20:29 (three years ago)

Take Me in Your Arse (Rock Me for a Little While)

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 October 2022 20:31 (three years ago)

Waving My Arse in the Air

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 October 2022 20:32 (three years ago)

Brothers in Arse

― Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 October 2022 20:32 (three years ago)

You Can't Put Your Arse Round a Memory

― Fronted by a bearded Phil Collins (Tom D.), Friday, 7 October 2022 20:36 (three years ago)

And the Arse Saw the Angel

― we're glistening (Matt #2), Friday, 7 October 2022 21:02 (three years ago)

KEEP YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR APPS

― Askeladd v. BMI (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 10 October 2022 01:13 (three years ago)

^NJ highway sign

― Askeladd v. BMI (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 10 October 2022 01:14 (three years ago)


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