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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
"Zed" vs. "Zee"
Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being played on a cable station and there was nothing else on) and for the first time, I noticed that "Agent Zed" did in fact fall in line with the movie's naming conventions "J" and "K" are named after letters, so I always wondered why Zed was not. Then I remembered that the British and French call pronounce "Z" as "Zed."
Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?
Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?
Top answer
[nq:1]Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production? " How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c.
- [nq:1]Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production?
- " How about Canada?
- Austrlia, New Zealand, &c.
- [/nq] Obviously it's "Zee" in New Zealand, otherwise it would be New Zedland!
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205 Answers
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[nq:1]Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
Obviously it's "Zee" in New Zealand, otherwise it would be New Zedland!
Obviously it's "Zee" in New Zealand, otherwise it would be New Zedland!
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[nq:1]Why was "Agent Zed" not called "Agent Zee" in an American production?[/nq]
I dunno. Humor (ar ar)?
[nq:1]Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?"[/nq]
No.
[nq:1]How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
Canada uses "zed", I know (I'm not sure if they do so exclusively). I assume Australia and NZ do as well (NTM Steve Hayes).
I dunno. Humor (ar ar)?
[nq:1]Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?"[/nq]
No.
[nq:1]How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
Canada uses "zed", I know (I'm not sure if they do so exclusively). I assume Australia and NZ do as well (NTM Steve Hayes).
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.rr.com:
[nq:1]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being played on a cable station and there was nothing else ... an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
I've heard Jamaican and Canadian speakers calling it "zed". But USAmericans, no, never. Here in the US, we wouldn't be caught dead calling it
[nq:1]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being played on a cable station and there was nothing else ... an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
I've heard Jamaican and Canadian speakers calling it "zed". But USAmericans, no, never. Here in the US, we wouldn't be caught dead calling it
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[nq:1]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being played on a cable station and there was nothing else ... with the movie's naming conventions "J" and "K" are named after letters, so I always wondered why Zed was not.[/nq]
"J" was short for "Jay",
"K" was short for "Kaye",
"Zed" was short for "Zedidiah".
...
"L" was short for "Eloise",
"P" was short for "Peter",
"J" was short for "Jay",
"K" was short for "Kaye",
"Zed" was short for "Zedidiah".
...
"L" was short for "Eloise",
"P" was short for "Peter",
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Jim Ward filted:
[nq:2]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being ... after letters, so I always wondered why Zed was not.[/nq]
[nq:1]"J" was short for "Jay", "K" was short for "Kaye", "Zed" was short for "Zedidiah". ... "L" was short for "Eloise", "P" was short for "Peter", "R" was short for "Arnold",[/nq]
Hey, I could go by my middle name and be Agent U!...r
[nq:2]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being ... after letters, so I always wondered why Zed was not.[/nq]
[nq:1]"J" was short for "Jay", "K" was short for "Kaye", "Zed" was short for "Zedidiah". ... "L" was short for "Eloise", "P" was short for "Peter", "R" was short for "Arnold",[/nq]
Hey, I could go by my middle name and be Agent U!...r
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Speaking of Canadian "zed", I came across this recently in Gregg Easterbrook's "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" column:
http://nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/7730428
Jacqueline McAra of Vancouver, British Columbia, notes that I have resolved to call the game's end "triple zeros,"
http://nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/7730428
Jacqueline McAra of Vancouver, British Columbia, notes that I have resolved to call the game's end "triple zeros,"
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[nq:1]Recently I was watching "Men in Black" (it was being played on a cable station and there was nothing else ... an American production? Are there areas of the country that say "Zed?" How about Canada? Austrlia, New Zealand, &c. &c.?[/nq]
Zed's dead, baby.
John Dean
Oxford
Zed's dead, baby.
John Dean
Oxford
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[nq:2]No. Canada uses "zed", I know (I'm not sure if they do so exclusively). I assume Australia and NZ do as well (NTM Steve Hayes).[/nq]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/columns/navigator/980604/front.htm
[nq:1]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/columns/navigator/980604/front.htm
[nq:1]
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[nq:2]Is "zed" for "zero" a recognized BrE/CanE/AusE/NZE-ism?[/nq]
[nq:1]I nearly went nuts taking a course in complex analysis, in which the usual variable is z rather than x. The teacher was Canadian, and it was here a zed, there a zed, everywhere a zed zed for the whole semester.[/nq]
Yabbut did (s)he ever say "zed" for "zero"? That would get really confusing (especially when z =
[nq:1]I nearly went nuts taking a course in complex analysis, in which the usual variable is z rather than x. The teacher was Canadian, and it was here a zed, there a zed, everywhere a zed zed for the whole semester.[/nq]
Yabbut did (s)he ever say "zed" for "zero"? That would get really confusing (especially when z =
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