Explorations in the Apocryphal Spelling of Tuque
on Richard Johnson (India), 19/Jan/2012 12:55, 34 days ago
Friends, nothing is dearer to this blog than thesanctityof its allonym. So consider us being true to our own self if we stick to our tuque and pan its increasingly common yet whollyunaccredited, malapropistic alternate spelling: touque.It hit a little close to home this past Christmas.Christmas gift to the Tuque Souq: Love the mug; loathe the spellingAlas, alas. It's one thing to be some blogger with an innocent orthographic handicap (like thistumblr blogdevoted to the "touque") orthis guywith a bug up his arse about "toques."[1]But if you're going to plant copy on a mug[2], please call us before going to press. At no extra charge, we'll tell you: It's atuque.Notwithstanding the Urban Dictionary's sparkling third definition oftouque-- "an uncircumcised penis" -- the only legitimate use of the "touque" spelling concerns any reference to theTouque family, a noble Kentish lineage of merry old England with an ancestry stretching to theNorman Conquest.Touques can wear touques -- that's their English business. And if they're chefs they might don toques. But we wear tuques, especially when drinking our coffee on a cold winter's morn.[1] Bug or no bug, it's still our second-most read blog post of all time,after this one[2] Support local artists, like thewoman who made this mug, who does some lovely work, all kidding aside