Sunday 22 April 2012

Mass on the Grass with Brass

One of frequent-commentor Anonymous's comments on the London Gallery Quire piece refers to "Mass on the Grass with Brass".

It strikes me that these are three words that are meant to rhyme, but don't. Unless you're a really serious Catholic (Roman or Anglo?).

It also strikes me that Anonymous probably won't get that joke. But maybe that's a bit crass?

17 comments :

  1. I'm a Wearsider and those words rhyme perfectly. Where is the problem?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, north of Husborne Crawley there isn't a problem :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daisy, you've got to get north of the Welland Valley (Corby excepted). In parts of Northamptonshire, the 'a' sounds are so long that you wonder if words like "can't" will ever end.

      Delete
  3. Oh, dear, I have stepped into a colloquial turd, haven't I? Well, they rhyme whether one has the slow southern drawl of a Tennesseean, the nasal pinch of a Brooklyner, or the "neutral" sound of a Midwesterner. At least it's not "Mass with Grass on Brass" which would be a whole 'nother thing entirely and possibly way more fun.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Indeed: Marse on the grarse with brarse would be a farce, It's a question of clarse,

    ReplyDelete
  5. Explain the 'unless you're a really serious Catholic Roman/Anglo' point to this American Roman Catholic, please?

    ReplyDelete
  6. In Britain, people who say, 'marse,' are either Irish or very posh. I speak as a London Roman Catholic with two Irish grandparents.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah; thanks, Leutgeb: so our Archdruid thinks that the "serious" Catholics are the Irish and the posh high Anglicans? Poor the rest of us, ha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marc, this was a strictly English (in the sense of the country) comment.

      Delete
  8. I wish Eileen would convert to the True Faith, bringing her Folk with her, and found a convent like that of the Brigittines, with a Rule suitably adapted to the Beaker charism.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but imagine having to explain to the Pope that he can't run the church anymore because he's a bloke. It's better all round that we stay where we are.

      Delete
  9. As a southerner living in Cheshire and married to a Widnesian, this is the sort of thngn that prompts my spouse to ask how I can tell when a word requires a long and when a short "a". Of course, it is just a random trick that we've developed so that we can laugh at northerners who can't speak "proper"!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What's interesting is that it seems to be an all-or-nothing thing. "Pass", "grass", "path", "chance", "dance", "prance" are either all pronounced with a long "a", or none of them.

      And don't get me started on "bass".

      Delete
    2. Come, Eileen, don't bring fish into it - it's complicated enough already!

      Delete
  10. You'll find it in Jones,even the early 20th cetury editions, as quite a recent development. My mainly RP, rather than 20th cent Kiwi accent, NZ grandmother was a short "a" speaker for all these letter 'a' plus two consonant letter words.
    Dont see why Southernaccents/Rp speakers should be considered unauthentic worms compared to everyone - or maybe bein' so umble n 'pologetic we's the only REAL xtians, all others hell bound on accounter their prideful 'thentic speech n "grit"?
    Pleasant thought, but doubt it'll wash on judgement day.Worth a try, tho?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Apologies rereading: Uriah Heep commented nowhere on this blog

    ReplyDelete

Drop a thoughtful pebble in the comments bowl