A Shot of Espresso, Without the X

 Espresso or expresso. There is only one correct way to say it, and I can’t even begin to describe how much it disturbs me when I hear the dreaded “x”. I understand that it might be easier to say “expresso” than “espresso”, but having an easy time of it has nothing to do with the jolt of caffeine running through a shot. I don’t believe that English is meant to be particularly difficult for native speakers to pronounce, yet many a time have I heard people born and raised in the U.S. say it the other way, the manner of which is absolutely cringe-worthy for someone like myself.

To look into my newly acquired AHD (American Heritage Dictionary), one would see the pronunciation of the troubled word to be…no, it can’t be true! Both espresso and “expresso” are accepted! Oh, the horror! Wait, maybe people say it that way because it’s like a racecar, speedily bringing you the caffeine you need. There’s a saying: “instant human, just add coffee”. Does this mean that if I drink espresso that I will become human faster? That is to be determined by a jury of empty coffee cups and some spare time.

A sidenote: To those that don’t drink coffee or even tea, how do you function in the morning? Some days even with the buzz of caffeine, it’s hard for us coffee-drinkers to get going, so what’s your secret? You know the drill, share me and leave a comment.

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Speedy Gonzales of Caffeine

Enough is enough!