Verruca

bnath*uw wrote:

> on the word verruca . . . is it much known in the
> states and elsewhere ? an american colleague of mine
> said he'd never heard of them, but they're well known
> in british primary schools !
 The word "verruca" is actually familiar to Americans through the movie
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", based on Roald Dahl's novel. In the
movie, when Willy Wonka meets a girl whose name is Veruca Salt (spelt with
one R, if I recall), he says when he learns her name that he's heard a
"ver[r]uca" is a bad kind of wart -- but he's sure it couldn't be true after
seeing such a <i>sweet</i> girl as her. If they've seen the movie, they
should be familiar with the meaning. There is also a band named Veruca Salt
(this being spelt with one R, I'm SURE), further familiarizing the word (I've
come across people who have heard of the band, but had no idea where the name
came from!) Although Americans are likely to have seen the movie "Willy Wonka
. . . Factory", they will usually just say "wart" in popular conversation;
"verruca" sounds like a scientific oddity.

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