Classic SNL sketch proposes the 'Decabet'
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(WAFF) - NBC's flagship comedy series "Saturday Night Live' completed its 40th season this past month, and we wanted to take a moment or two to highlight a classic sketch from its early years that has a distinctive word-lover's flair to it.
Dan Aykroyd appears as a representative of the U.S. Council of Standards and Measures, a group that, he says, intended to convert the country to the metric system.
That conversion would also apply to the alphabet, with our standard 26-letter system condensed to a handy (you can count 'em!) 10 letters.
Condensing is certainly what happens, as Aykroyd's character gives us a primer in how our language would change under the metric alphabet - including words featuring the smashing together of letters P-Z, "the trash letters," he calls them, into a "single, dark character."
Our favorites: "Honey, would you LMNOpen the door," and "I caught a big efish."
Note: LMNOight, though it looks like it would be pronounced L-M-N-oight, is actually pronounced "Light."
A similar silent letter appears in "Ghotel" (hotel).
To watch this sketch in its entirety on mobile, click here.
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