winghaz Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Yeah it was, wasn't it. Can't help you there, beyond compliance with English spelling rules. To guarantee that the "o" would be pronounced long (as in old) instead of short (as in alcohol), an "e" was added after the consonant following the "o". But why anyone shortening "old" would need a spelling cue as to how to pronounce "Ol-" in any way but with a long "o" escapes me. Especially when your apostrophe accomplishes this. Maybe back when the nickname came about, the custom in writing was to use the "e" instead of ending words with apostrophes, in the same way that the word "today" used to be hyphenated. Just speculation on my part. Makes sense by me. Thanks for the info.But I still like to call it OH-lee Miss and then joke about how Mississippi must be loaded with Norwegians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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