1. Elven Candy

    Elven Candy Pay no attention to the foot in my mouth Contributor

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    Bony vs. Boney; which one is correct?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Elven Candy, Apr 12, 2019.

    Hey everyone, so I have an alpha reader giving me feedback on my WIP, and in it he corrected my word "boney" to "bony." This tickled my curiosity, so I looked them up on my computer's dictionary and discovered that they're both words with similar meaning. So my question is: are these like "grey" and "gray," where one is the English spelling and the other American? If that's the case, does it matter which spelling I use, or should I go ahead and use American spelling (my native country)?

    In the context of my story the word is used by dragons to describe humans as "small, bony ogres."
     
  2. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    I've got two printed dictionaries from about 30 years ago (when I first moved to Scotland) - the American Webster's and the British Oxford English. Both give 'bony' as the correct spelling of the word meaning something with a lot of bones in it. Neither of them give 'boney' as a word at all.

    Maybe they've never heard of Boney Maronie. But then again, maybe neither have you! :)
     
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  3. Elven Candy

    Elven Candy Pay no attention to the foot in my mouth Contributor

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    Your assumption is correct :D. Thank you for the information! "Bony" looks better anyway, so I'll stick to it until and unless I find out it's better to use the other.
     
  4. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    My age is showing.
     
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  5. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    Hmm.... Dragon... Big, strong, bony structure, fierce flaming eyes, something that you can't trust and many people fear, immune to poisoning and hard to kill....

     
  6. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    Who, me?
    dragon.png
     
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  7. rktho

    rktho Contributor Contributor

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    Hehe...
     
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  8. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

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    There's also Boney M, though maybe they've never heard of them either.

    But yeah, 'bony' is the generally accepted spelling for the word. While 'Boney' is a not very common Anglo-Saxon name meaning handsome.
     
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  9. Alan Aspie

    Alan Aspie Banned Contributor

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    They can listen to it in this thread. About Russian human dragon called....
     
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  10. matwoolf

    matwoolf Banned Contributor

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    And 'Bonny' may or may not have 18c 'political' associations, as in the/a slur...
     
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  11. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    As in:

    Ma bonny lice soda devotion
    Mae boonie lifesaver DC
    McBoniface Rover Commotion
    Oh, brickbat ma honey to me

    - Walt Kelly, Pogo
     
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