A Little Help

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this, but you know those dresses with high waistlines?  Sort of Juliet-like, or baby dollish?  Dresses with an empire waist, specifically?  Ok.  Here is my question.  Is it em-PYRE or ahm-PEER? 

My whole life, I've pronounced it just like it looks:  em-PYRE.  None of this faux-European nonsense.  But then I keep hearing people say it ahm-PEER, and I wonder if I sound like a complete idiot.  Not that "empire waist" comes up much in casual conversation, but even if I've mispronounced it ten times in all, that's still enough to upset my fragile constitution, since I am usually such a snob about all things involving words and also I HATE BEING WRONG ABOUT ANYTHING.  So help a sister out!  Which is it? 

(This fully relates back to Jonniker's entry from months ago about her own mispronunciations, and the comments there are some of the funniest things I've ever read.  (Go ahead!  Go read them!  The rest of my entry is terminally boring; it won't hurt you to skip it.)  As long as we're on this, the funniest mispronunciations I've ever witnessed were in sixth grade, when Ryan M. read "humidity" as hyoom-i-DITTY, and in eighth grade, when Hollie H. said "laughter" like it rhymed with "slaughter" and then, when she realized her mistake, she looked around and quietly remarked, "Y'all.  I'm embarrassed.")

(I'm suddenly having blog deja vu, and I'm wondering if I've told these stories before.  Of course, I'm too lazy to actually poke around and see if I have.  Meh.  And since they're not that interesting, I'm sure you wouldn't have remembered if I had.)

In other beyond trivial non-news, I made a pork tenderloin for Easter dinner, which required the use of a meat thermometer to ensure that I not give anyone trichinosis or some other dread food-borne disease.  Apparently, the thing to do is NOT to put the meat thermometer into the dishwasher after use. 

Remember when you would go swimming with your Mickey Mouse watch on -- the one with Mickey's arms as the clock hands -- and because it cost $9.99 at KMart and therefore wasn't water-resistant in the slightest, you'd come home to find that it had water trapped inside, under the crystal part, and Mickey was close to drowning?  So your dad would put the watch in the oven to evaporate the water out of it?  Remember that?  No?  Just me.  Ok, then. 

Well, the same thing happens to the meat thermometer, except without  Mickey Mouse.  Although since the oven is always the next destination for the meat thermometer (after the drawer, really, for about seven months, since it's not like I find myself making tenderloins or roasts or turkeys but a couple of times a year), I guess the trapped water probably isn't the end of the world. 

And, wow.  I bet you could have lived your life just fine without knowing about my meat thermometer.  GOD.  Up next:  five paragraphs about my can opener! 

Randomly, best line from America's Next Top Model this week?  "I don't speak Jamaican!"

So...yeah.  Has anyone seen my brain?  (Seriously, though -- you must weigh in on empire vs. ahmpeer.  YOU DO THAT RIGHT NOW.)

Comments

[Jamie Johnson]

I grew up saying "ahm-pyre" and then realized in college that it was, in fact, "ahm-peer" and now i feel like my hands are tied b/c they both sound equally pretentious.

[Dinamyte]

I always say em-PYRE which I learned from my mom, who also says em-PYRE. And, I totally heard that "I don't speak Jamaican!" line and totally laughed.

[Allison]

My mom says ahm-peer. I say it the other way.
Dude, my dad SO put my Mickey Mouse watch in the oven.
And no, you have not told those stories before. We've just talked about them over email. :)

[Beth]

I've always heard it pronounced EM-pyre, but after looking it up I see it's an either-or kinda thing, esp. if you want to get all French about it. ;^)

[Beth]

Oops. Meant to include link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empire

[Dinamyte]

To clarify: I say EM-pyre, like Beth does, like that famous NYC skyscraper (I originally read it as you clarifying PYRE vs PEER).

And like Beth gave you, here's a funny link on the subject (came up second on a Google search for "empire waist" and "pronounce"): http://tinyurl.com/2mebor

[Dave]

In English, it's EM-pyre. Should we use the French pronunciation simply because it refers to Napoleon rather than Caesar or the Empire State Building? I vote no.

I would be willing to bet that at least some of the folks who say ahm-PEER are being ironically pretentious, like those of us who refer to Target as Tar-zhay.

I took Fashion & Decor in college; never thought I'd actually use it. Next ask me about Ionic columns! :)

[metalia]

I've been taught that "EM-pire" is the norm, and "Ohm-PEER" is pretentious, unless you're actually French.

How much do I love you for the ANTM line? God, that's just quality television. (Do you read the televisionwithoutpity.com recaps? I'm obsessed.)

[rachel]

i've always said it em-PYRE. on the other hand, i think i've always pronounced humidity the way Ryan M. did, so i'm probably not the best person to comment on this.

[claire]

I vote Em-pyre and totally agree about the pretentious french way.

In fact, i think the first time i hear ahm-PEER, was on What Not to Wear and i was all, "tch.. so pretentious".

On the other hand, i prounounced "peridot" incorrectly until about 5 years ago. That "t" is silent, y'all. Who knew.

[Lawyerish]

These comments are the greatest. Y'all are the greatest! Keep 'em coming!

Jamie - Your hands are tied. That KILLS me.

Dinamyte - thanks for the link. If Tinsley Mortimer says it ahmpeer, then I'm totally going empire. I don't need to sound like a useless socialite. And the reasoning given for pronouncing it the French way? Makes no sense. We frequently anglicize French and other foreign words, so I see no reason that this should be different.

Allison - Thank you re: the Mickey Mouse watch. I am glad I am not alone.

Beth - Yeah, I guess the accent is on the EM and not the pyre, but I've always had trouble figuring that out when I spell something phonetically. Heh. And! I learned from your link that it's supposed to be capitalized, as in "Empire waist." The hell? Gaaaah.

Dave - I want to see a blog entry from you about Fashion & Decor. Like, NOW.

Metalia - TWoP is my life. MY LIFE.

Rachel - Hee. Humi-ditty.

Claire - SERIOUSLY? The "T" is SILENT? NOOOOO. Peridot is my birth stone and I have always said "per-i-DOTT." THE SHAME!

[Lawyerish]

OH, and Dinamyte? I owe you a response from days ago re: TypeKey. You should sign out of TypeKey and just fill in your info in the fields that appear in the comment thingamajig. Then it'll link directly to your site instead of that lame-o "I can be found online" page. I had the same problem with TypeKey until I got wise to the system.

[magpie]

ahm-PEER.

I know someone who pronounced MISLED wrong for years, as MIZZLED.

And INDICT is a good one, because it looks like INDICKT.

[-R-]

You have been saying periDOTT, all this time? Oh, Lawyerish! That is hilarious.

Also, thank you for this discussion because I have been worried about the correct pronunciation of "empire" for quite some time now. I am happy that I can go back to saying EM-pyre with no fear!

[jes]

What? I thought it was em-pyre. All my life I've pronounced it this way. Are you telling me that all my life I've been wrong?

Gah. It's things like this that make me feel so Texan.

That, and totally un-pretentious.

[Leah]

I think it's like the difference between pronunciations of "foyer." For some it's "foy-er," others "foy-yay." Also: "vase" or "vauze"? Damn French always infiltrating us all subtle-like.

[claire]

Dude, i know.

Peri-doe. Feh.

[leelee]

stacy & clinton (what not to wear) say it: ahm-PEER.

i think that's a little weird. i've always said empire. the regular way. :)

[nonsoccermom]

I have always said it em-pyre, myself. Of course, I'm from Texas so what would I know?

I had an English teacher in college that pronounced epiphany as epi-fanny. And when we were reading Don Juan I was confused for a while - who is Don JOO-an?

[tgr]

I've only every heard em-pyre. Ahm-peer sounds awfully silly to me. :)

I think my favorite mispronunciation was one of my own. I read everything I could get my hands on as a kid, so I had a wide vocabulary of words that I'd only ever read, but had never heard out loud. For years, y'all, I thought it was pronounced "ignore-ant". And wondered why people giggled when I said it. Oh irony, I love you.

[Single Jen]

I agree w/ most of your comments....em-pyre. We do not live in France:-)

Mispronunciation...a guy friend of mine once thought the correct pronunciation of Louis Vuitton was (try and say this very American and somewhat redneck) "lewis (as in the name) vuttin".

[Single Jen]

I agree w/ most of your comments....em-pyre. We do not live in France:-)

Mispronunciation...a guy friend of mine once thought the correct pronunciation of Louis Vuitton was (try and say this very American and somewhat redneck) "lewis (as in the name) vuttin" (as in "rut" + "in").

We still give him hell for this.

[blakspring]

I also pronounce it em-pyre and have never heard it pronounced the French way. (I guess I don't hang out with the fashion crowd enough.) And speaking of French, my best friend in high school asked our teacher, "What does ren-DEZ-ves mean?" He said, "Would you know it if I pronounced it as rendezvous?" She hasn't mispronounced it since.

[Orange Peacock]

I always thought the style of dress referenced the high-waisted comfy Greek goddess wannabe fashions around the height of the British empire. Therefore, em-PYRE. But you learn something new every day, apparently...

[Sueb0b]

My sis says ehm-PEER but I am more of an empire girl myself.

Reminds me of that red wine blend - Meritage. It is a made-up American word and is properly pronounced to rhyme with Heritage, but I always hear people Frenchify it "mare-ee-TAJH."

[jonniker]

I commented on the wrong entry and was SO CONFUSED as to why no one mentioned empire. Because I was multitasking or something. Where did I leave that comment? What was I thinking?

Oh dear God.

[Dave]

I can't seem to figure out TrackBack, but my Fashion and Decor post is up. Enjoy.

[Alyce]

ahm-peer is how I pronounce it

also, i would never tease someone about the way the said a word (like this) that has multiple correct ways

(well, I wouldn't tease you to your face)

btw, it is a very flattering dress style for a big girl like me

[Lawyer Mama]

Stacy & Clinton on What not to Wear always say ahm-peer. I think that's a bit pretentious unless you want to fake the french accent too. Em-pyre is fine.

[Mauigirl52]

I have always said em-pyre, not ahm-peer. As others have said, ahm-peer would be the correct French pronunciation, but since when did Americans want to pronounce things in French? But heck, I still call a Renault a Re-nolt, not a Ray-no.

As for the style itself, it was always flattering on me since I've never had a waist to speak of!

As for meat thermometers, I have you beat. I brought my almost new meat thermometer over to my mom's on Easter (it was something like $15 at Whole Foods when I bought it before Christmas). She was making a roast lamb and didn't have one so I figured I'd use mine. I thought it was the kind you just stuck in and left in the meat (you know,like the pop-up button on a turkey). Well, it wasn't. It was the kind you stick in temporarily, read, and then remove. By the time I looked at it, the face had melted off like something out of a Dali picture! Oh well, $15 down the drain. The lamb turned out OK anyway, using our usual method of cutting it open to see how rare it was!

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