I was having a discussion with some fellow colleagues over the British pronunciation of the URINAL. We had just finished a two hour dinner and had been sitting back enjoying after-dinner drinks in a rather quiet, subdued restaurant in a rather noisy, raucus world in which no one was particularly in a hurry, or prepared for that matter, to reenter for as long as it could be prolonged or postponed. Naturally it was raining outdoors and the winds were turning high and the awnings of the restaurant were taking a beating. Umbrellas were flying about as were hats and handbags.
When the conversation turned to URINAL it was simply a question of one of our party making his way to the Mensroom. One of the others, turning a bit in his seat to ask what had happened to Robert, was told that Robert had gone over to the URINAL. Bill, a North American, thought for a moment that someone had suggested that Robert was anal. It sounded distinctly, with that peculiar British pronunciation stressing a long ai sound, as though he had said "you're anal."
My question is this, which is more correct, URINAL or PISSPOT? Anyway the rain had not let up and like impish, perverse little boys the conversation turned to the American pronunciation of the PLANET URANUS and all suddenly went straight to hell as one Brit waggishly asserted that the American pronunciation was ......
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