One of those odd requests, from a reader in Texas:

Dear Mr. Derbyshire: A while back you discussed English pronunciations in reference to your name. Could you perform the same analysis for the British name that no one can pronounce, “Worcestershire Sauce”?

[Me] No prob.

• First syllable: say “wood” without the terminal “d”.

• Second syllable: say “stud” without the terminal “d”.

• Third syllable: say “shun” without the terminal “n”.

• Stress: on first syllable. (Causing each of those “uh” sounds in the second and third syllables to dwindle down to a schwa — the unstressed “neutral vowel” like “a” in “about.”).

“WOO-stuh-shuh.” See? The “sauce” is close to an American pronunciation, only with a longer vowel.