It's pronounced "Goo-vain". Allegedly.
It started about 25 years ago in a serious online forum about language and grammar when somebody asked seriously about the correct name of the @ symbol. The thread then continued to discuss the formal names of other symbols until it diverged from the original point:
>>>>>> What's a pilcrow?
>>>>> "¶" is a pilcrow. What's an octothorp?
>>>> "#" is an octothorp. What's a virgule?
>>> A virgule is an old musical instrument. What's a spinet
>>A spinet is a small grove of trees. What's a copse?
And so on. It's been going on in various parts of the net since being evicted from the original forum, and has spawned many new threads.
Answer a question imaginatively, ask a "What is" question connected to your answer.
Shall I start?
What's a knees-up?
