Poll on how to prounce PLOMB

[bb1970]

I started a thread a few days ago about how to pronounce the tool brand Plomb. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172389 I found there are alot of people just a confused as I am. Plum and bomb seem to be the common versions. Post if your doesn't agree with one of these.

 

[bcradio]

pluh-vmmmb

 

[DandDMachine]

Like bomb, I dont know why you would pronounce an O as a U. Then again I went to a public school.

 

[davesnothere]

I rhyme it with bomb one time. Then the next time a say plum. And repeat. That way I'm right half the time anyway.

 

[The Copilot]

I doubt there would have been a trademark lawsuit between Plomb and Plumb is the names weren't pronounced the same.

 

[Joe B.]

According the the 1940 Census, Alphonse M Plomb was 69 years old and a toolmaker living in Pomona, CA. He was born in France in 1871. In the week of March 24, 1940 he had only worked 16 hours so I suspect he was partially retired.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K9W2-XV8
(You can click and see the actual Census record from this link.)

Per other site on the web, parted ways with Plomb tools around 1917 but continued to make some tools under the name A. Plomb.

Alphonse Plomb is a French name so the French pronunciation would most accurately represent how it was pronounced within the company and would be the correct pronunciation. However, it is likely that the name was widely mispronounced as it was foreign and recorded communications would not have been available for something trivial like a tool brand. Also, considering Mr. Plomb had already left the company when it really started to grow, everyone else there could have anglicized the name.

Interestingly enough Plomb in the french word for the metal lead but can also be used for shot and sinkers like in the USA.

There are a number of places on the web that will allow you to here the French precipitation and I listed a few below. I would best describe the pronunciation at "plohm" with much less emphasis on the 'p' than we would use in the USA.

http://translate.google.com/transla...a=X&ei=8SuUULb8LeTU2AX7qYDoAg&ved=0CB8QrgYwAA

http://www.forvo.com/word/plomb/

 

[bb1970]

I just realized I misspelled the F@#%^ng title. How can I fix that??

 

[JeremyManning]

There is a pronunciation on wikipedia dictionary but it is unsupported by MAC so I can't hear it DOH.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plomb

 

[Mickey O]

I just realized I misspelled the F@#%^ng title. How can I fix that??

I was going ask you to start a poll on what the correct spelling of pronounce is.

 

[EvilWelder]

Plum, or that old Proto stuff

 

[ddawg16]

You would not believe some of the conversations my wife and I have about pronouciation.....she is always giving me **** about my Texas version of words.....like pronoucing "greasy" as "greezy".....she says there is "NO Z in greasy"....I tell her that it's perfectly valid Tex speak....

But then I give her **** about how Brits pronouce words....they put R's in words that don't have them...for example, most Brits pronounce America as "Ameriker" or "I have an idear" (instead of idea)

 

[KPSquared]

Americans do that with a lot of words. How the hell does FAVRE become FARV? The V is in front of the R. . .not after.

A lot of butchered French words down there south of the 49th. . .

 

[sk farmer]

Plum, or that old Proto stuff

nope, plum is the hammer.

very old tools and the guys name is spelled with an o. the later stuff is marked with a triangle but it still stands for an o.

 

[lwlobo]

There is a pronunciation on wikipedia dictionary but it is unsupported by MAC so I can't hear it DOH.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plomb

That sounds like plume, rhymes with tomb, in a faint, understated, limp-wristed french kindof way. Can't be the name of an solid historical american tool company.

Rhymes with bomb is how I say it, but I only know of Plomb from the internet and garage sales.

 

[SweetD]

I pronounce it "AWESOME"

 

[Justanoldguy]

I was going ask you to start a poll on what the correct spelling of pronounce is.

Way too confusing. There is an O and a U together. Are they mating?

 

[Ben Buck]

I rhyme it with bomb one time. Then the next time a say plum. And repeat. That way I'm right half the time anyway.

And there ain't no R in wash, warsh them feets, they stink!!

 

[Joe B.]

That sounds like plume, rhymes with tomb, in a faint, understated, limp-wristed french kindof way. Can't be the name of an solid historical american tool company.

Well, Mr. Plomb was a Frenchman that came to the USA so I guess a solid historical american tool company was named for a understated Frenchman.



In all seriousness, the tomb / plume pronunciation seems about right.

 

[Conductor562]

Rhymes with bomb.

 

[KF5LCH]

I remember phonics from 1st grade. It's a "short O" . So it's pronounced "aw".

Plomb= Pl-aw-mb.
Bomb= B-aw-mb.

Grandpa always pronounced it with a silent B. So that's how I do it.

 

[Zrexxer]

There are a number of places on the web that will allow you to here the French precipitation and I listed a few below.

I'm gonna have to check those out 'cause I never hered a precipitation before

 

[fatfillup]

I voted plum but after reading the arguments, I'm thinking plume would be how the man's name is pronouced and we would have Americanized it to rhyme with bomb but I'm sticking with plum.

Now you all realize that since many of us have typed in bomb, we are being watched

 

[bb1970]

Pretty close poll. Can a head Fred fix the spelling in the title?? Or is it set in stone?

 

[Jbullfrog]

It is pronounced just how it sounds.

 

[Conductor562]

I can't believe this poll is this close. I've never heard anyone refer to it as Plum.

 

[PowderKeg]

Ditto rhymes with bomb - 'course you're seeing this from someone that pronounces "Baltimore, Maryland" as "Bawmer, Merlnd", and carries a few bottles of wutr with him when marking timber...

 

[arvidj]

I'm gonna have to check those out 'cause I never hered a precipitation before

You may not have a herd of precipitation in Texas but in Minnesota we call it "a bunch of rain drops".

 

[Project 2501]

Pl-ohm

 

[B_Bimmer]

I agree that there would probably not have been trademark issues if it was said differently, but I rhyme it with bomb because that makes it easier to differentiate between brands in everyday conversion.

 

[Ton ton]

No clue because I don't own plomb tools.

 

[JeepYJ]

Plomb is pronounced like “tomb” which is different than ”plum” or bomb”. More like “plume”

 

[JeepYJ]

I remember phonics from 1st grade. It's a "short O" . So it's pronounced "aw".

Plomb= Pl-aw-mb.
Bomb= B-aw-mb.

Grandpa always pronounced it with a silent B. So that's how I do it.

Tomb is not pronounced t-aw-mb

 

[Nick Danger]

It sounds like aplomb.

 

[humber2]

Pronunciation changes if you have a plum in your mouth........

 

[KnurledNut]

Pl-ohm

 

[laser3kw]

Pl-ohm

x2

 

[david3921]

Plume according to Wikipedia. However, comb and plomb are similarly spelled so could it be plome with a long 'O'?

BTW, comb is part of my last name and we do not pronounce the 'B'.

 

[rockinacummins]

I found a PLOMB wrench in the $1 bin at a pawn shop one time. Took it to the counter where the guy looked it over real good and told me it was a “Plum-Bob” wrench. He then proceeded to tell me it was made by Snap-On.

So it’s obviously it’s pronounced Snap-On-Plum-Bob.

 

[mitusa]

It sounds like aplomb.

This^^^

Pl ohm

 

[slowtwitch73]

I say it the same way Mr Bean says 'Bob'.