7 Words You Might Be Saying Wrong
These of-the-moment words (see especially slide 2) are often mispronounced. The authors of
You're Saying It Wrong are here to help.
By Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
Illustration: Florie Duhau
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chaise longue
Yes, as you can see above, it is not "chaise lounge." But if you thought it was, you're far from alone. Typing "chaise lounge" into Google proves this. The incorrect term occurred more than 1 million times.
It is clearly an easy mistake to make, and it has been made since the word emerged in the early 1800s. But the French word chaise longue means, literally, "long chair," not "lounge chair." The piece of furniture itself has been around for centuries, first made in ancient Egypt by lashing palm sticks together with rawhide. So the furniture has a long (longue?) history.
Published 10/28/2016
