Biscuits

The biscuit has changed during the centuries, both in spelling and preparation. As soon as I had learned to spell this word, I wanted another, more logical pronunciation. Bis-quit’seemed apt. Eventually, I found my way to the Oxford English Dictionary. It takes little pleasure in the affectations of the past two centuries: “The regular form in Eng. from 16th to 18th c. was bisket, as still pronounced; the current biscuit is a senseless adoption of the mod. French spelling, without the Fr. pronunciation.” Matters could be worse: besquite, bysqwyte, byscute are all historical antecedents.