Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?

[David Eckels]

I don't do many of these types of shots, but thought I'd post it. This goes back a long time to when I was in the 5th grade spelling bee and I was asked to spell "theatre" and I spelled it "theater" and I had to sit down anyway. Thus the irony in coming across this abandoned sign. Evidently, I am not alone in my confusion, which has lasted some 50 years! http://grammarist.com/spelling/theater-theatre/

[RSL]

The link explains it all, David. You shouldn't have had to sit down considering the fact that you were in the U.S.A.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

The colour is nice too

[Alan Klein]

I always use theater except when I'm in a snooty mood.  Then I use theatre.  

[luxborealis]

Considering it's a French word, it's theatre. However, we all know what Yanks think of the French, so theater would be correct in the US of A (even though my iPad is trying to autocorrect to theatre)!

[Chairman Bill]

It's theatre, colour, though. Trousers, not bloody pants. It's basil, not bay-sil, oregahno, not oreg-ano. You can have zucchini, even though we tend to use the French, courgette, but lieutenant is pronounced lef-tenant, not loo-tenant. A loo tenant is someone who rents a toilet block. Oh, and it's khazi, thunder-box, bog, crapper, toilet or loo, but never john or bathroom.

I could go on 

[David Eckels]

Toe-mah-toe, tuh-may-toe. I've been pissed off about that spelling bee for 50 years; didn't realize we had some damn foreigners on the judging committee
Oh well, water under the bridge, right? Time to let it go, but obviously the guy that designed this sign had problems too so at least it makes me feel better. Oh, that sign was in the USA, if California counts. By the way, Bill, if you have bloody pants, you've got a problem I think  
PS Damn all iPad spell checkers, too!!

[Jeremy Roussak]

It's theatre, colour, though. Trousers, not bloody pants. It's basil, not bay-sil, oregahno, not oreg-ano. You can have zucchini, even though we tend to use the French, courgette, but lieutenant is pronounced lef-tenant, not loo-tenant. A loo tenant is someone who rents a toilet block. Oh, and it's khazi, thunder-box, bog, crapper, toilet or loo, but never john or bathroom.

I could go on 

I'll help...

Aluminium, not aluminum. Kerb, not curb (unless you mean curb, of course). Pavement, not sidewalk; carriageway, not pavement. We seem to have given up on sulfur, though.

And I love the Californian habit of painting words on roads to b read in the order in which you reach them (bottom to top), not the order in which those of us used to reading read them. "Turn Right No" was my favourite (not favorite).

Jeremy

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Sore losers!

[Manoli]

Chairman Bill and Jeremy in jovial, genial and erudite mode. Makes a welcome change from P-A-S-M !

[William Walker]

Sorry guys, but I am with the Poms on this one!

[David Eckels]

Poms? P-A-S-M?
Guess I'm not erudite enough!

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Poms? P-A-S-M?...

Brits' spasm?

[William Walker]

Poms? P-A-S-M?
Guess I'm not erudite enough!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_names_for_the_British#Pommy_or_Pom

[David Eckels]

Thanks William! I finally figured it out, PASM=Program,Aperture,Shutter,Manual... duh! What was I (not) thinking