Discussion Groups / British English / January 2004

I have one question:
Which sentence below is grammatically correct or are both of them?
1. Each player’s strategy is an optimal response to the other player’s
strategy.

I would like to know if there is any dictionary or other work listing the
various spellings by which various vowel sounds are represented in English.
What I envision are entries such as (and I do not have the various phonetic
symbols):

I am french and I am reading actually the book TV Nation (Michael Moore).
I don't understand the word 'toniest' in this sentence
"Greenwich is the toniest of all the new York City suburbs"
Thanks in advance

My vocabulary (Collins Cobuild - English dictionary for advanced
learners, isbn 0-00-710201-1 third edition) gives this definition:
"3. If you describe a collection of things or people as catholic, you
are emphasizing that they are very varied. | He was a man of catholic

Where does the expression "wives tale" come from, and what does it mean?
Thanks!

   Firstly, thank you for all the replies.
   Secondly, Happy-Whateveryoucelebrate!
   Ok then let's try this one;
If the English language is derived from so many others, then it stands to

My ex-wife is an artist, living in France. She knows and uses calligraphy,
but is looking for a short course in England (Midlands or London area), a
week or fortnight, where she can practise with experts to polish her
techniques. It has been a dream of hers for a long time.

Again, I have trouble with a phrase in a british book. This is a book of
self-help, and the chapter talks about how women sometimes give men a chance
because they believe that, although he is not exactly everything they want,
there is room for improvement.

Just heard on TV - "The team is forbidden from carrying out DNA tests".
Now, that's one I hadn't heard before!

Thank for your answers on the other thread.
I have another question:
it seems that there is a slight difference between a 'geek' and a
'nerd'.

I just heard someone say she had written some books on psychology. She
pronounced the beginning of the latter word like [ ps- ]. In several books on
phonetics this way of saying it is not mentioned at all. The word is said to be
pronounced [ s- ]. I only found one exception to this ...

I have one question:  
Is it common in spoken BRITISH English to say
"A happy new year!" with an A, rather than
"Happy new year!" without the A?