Misunderstood Meanings

[Forty-Niner]

My family lived in Theydon Bois for a few years when I was young. Locals would greet each other by saying "Whip", or so I thought.
I later found out they were actually saying "Ay-up".
Listening to Jeff Stelling's Gillette Soccer Special one Saturday afternoon, Marvin Ekpiteta scored for us. This was a name Stelling hadn't come across before and wasn't sure of the pronunciation. He said it was probably like the rhyme he used as a kid, "One Petita, Two Petita".
Wrong Jeff, that was "One Potato, Two Potato".
"Lasagna" is apparently "The Champions" although however hard I listen it still sounds like "Lasagna".
Well that's Jeff Stelling and me - who else is going to own up?

[Buckingham]

Growing up I used to think “brand new” was “brown new”.

Spent a lot of my childhood wondering what was so good about brown things.

[slacker]

Whenever I see a van advertising shopfitting services, my mind immediately translates it as shoplifting services. Gets me every time.

[CreamofSumYungGai]

Whenever I see a van advertising shopfitting services, my mind immediately translates it as shoplifting services. Gets me every time.

YES! Me too, without fail.

As a young boy in the West side, I used to think we sung FRANKINCLODS, WHO ARE WE? I never had the nerve to ask what a Frankinclod was, luckily. Clarke was long gone by the time I realised what it was.

[bobo66]

Why is Theydon Bois, pronounced how it sounds - in English - and not how you would expect to be pronounced - in French?

Before you say "because it's in England" lots of other places in England are pronounced differently.

[ComeOnYouOs]

Why is Theydon Bois, pronounced how it sounds - in English - and not how you would expect to be pronounced - in French?

Before you say "because it's in England" lots of other places in England are pronounced differently.

Good point. Im still not sure how to pronounce it to be honest

Is it Theydon bow-is
or is it Theydon boys
or Theydon boyce
or something different altogether/

[bobo66]

I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Theydon Boys, but who am I to say, I've never even been there. To me it's just a stop on the Eastern end of the Central Line.

[Stamford O]

It's Feydon Boys

[Fisch]

Boys it is. Using French pronunciations is so passé.

[Howling Mad Murdock]

The origin of the village place name comes from the family of Bois (de Bosco), which held the manor in the 12th and 13th centuries.[3] The village name is usually pronounced to rhyme with "boyce" or "boys".[citation needed]

The second part of the village name has been 'Boys', with various spellings, as far back as can be traced.[by whom?] When the Great Eastern Railway built its branch to Ongar, it asked the clerk of the Epping Parish Council, a Mr John Windas, how it should be spelt. As he had some knowledge of French and in view of the village's proximity to the forest, he suggested the best spelling would be 'Bois'.[citation needed]

[Disoriented]

‘Strong and stable’ - still not quite sure what it means. At first I thought it signified a decisive and positive government. However, after five minutes I doubted its validity and to this day I am confused as to its meaning.