Thursday, April 18, 2013

nay, neigh, née

Nay or nay means a negative response, or a vote against ( a bill or measure )--
Will the congressman vote yea or nay on the bill?
That's 47 aye, and 42 nay. The ayes have it.
Nay is an old-fashioned or colloquial way to say "no"--
Nay, we have quaffed enough ale already.

Neigh or neigh ( rhymes with nay ) is the sound a horse makes--
We can hear the horse neigh from here.
When he talks to his horse, it responds with a "neigh".

Née or née ( rhymes with nay ) is French for "born", and is used to add a woman's maiden name to her married name--
Mary Smith (  née Jones ) will be the new head of advertising.
Mrs. John Smith ( née Mary Jones ) has been nominated as a candidate for city council.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Councilwoman Smith ( née Jones ) voted "nay" on the measure to forbid any horse to neigh within the city limits."

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