Why is ornery pronounced Awnry?

Why is the word “ornery” vocally pronounced “awnry”? It is because one uneducated person mishears a word and passes it on to another uneducated person, who mishears it and passes it on to …. The accuracy of the act of passing the word on from the first individual to the last degrades until it becomes unintelligible.

What does Awnry mean?

stubborn or vile-tempered. low; treacherous. an ornery trick. 3.

Where is the word ornery used?

This especially applies when describing children or elderly people. Ornery is often used to describe stubborn animals. The word ornery first appeared in the United States after the turn of the nineteenth century as a variant of the word ordinary. In the beginning, ornery described something that was ugly or plain.

Where did the word ornery originate?

The word ornery first appeared in the United States after the turn of the nineteenth century as a variant of the word ordinary. In the beginning, ornery described something that was ugly or plain. By the mid-1800s the term came to mean cantankerous or ill-tempered.

What is the origin of the word ‘ornery’?

The word is “ornery.” As noted by the Online Etymology Dictionary, in 1816 the word “ornery” appeared to be an Americanized pronunciation of “ordinary” in the sense of “plain, ugly.” NPR’s “A Way with Words” documented the usage of “ordinary” in one of their episodes . By 1860, “ornery” had come to mean ill-tempered, disagreeable, or cantankerous.

What is the meaning of ornery Smile?

Definition of ornery. 2 chiefly Midwest : having or showing a playful tendency to cause trouble : mischievous an ornery smile It had been fun to play a trick on those ornery boys.

What is the etymology of the word ordinary?

The word is “ornery.” As noted by the Online Etymology Dictionary, in 1816 the word “ornery” appeared to be an Americanized pronunciation of “ordinary” in the sense of “plain, ugly.” NPR’s “A Way with Words” documented the usage of “ordinary” in one of their episodes .

Who is ornery Amber Woodward?

Amber Woodward, an attorney for the federal government living in Dallas, TX (originally from the Kansas City area), recently had a run-in with her father-in-law when she called him “ornery”. I’ll let her tell her own story in a moment, but first I want to say that I personally never use “ornery” in a pejorative sense.