Antiques Road Show

[roseandlily]

It's really annoying Fiona Bruce keep saying "The" Flying Scotsman.. the engine is Flying Scotsman..you wouldn't say "The" Mallard or "The" Leander.. should maybe have done a little more research.

[evil__sheep]

i think perhaps the sounds right, like it does when you say the titanic, rather than just titanic

[Prudie]

I would say 'the' Mallard or 'the' Leander. I'd also say 'the' QE2 and 'the' Titanic. It's the definitive article.

[roseandlily]

Then you'd be wrong, Prudie.. the names are Mallard, Leander etc

[Jonathan-Joe]

"The" is added before a name (not just locomotives) often enough to be acceptable as idiomatic English. Do those who disagree refer to the London thoroughfare as "Strand" or "The Strand". Do you shop in "High Street" or "The High Street". For each, does the official name include "the"? How about "Marie Celeste" or "the Marie Celeste"? "Pacific Ocean" or "the Pacific Ocean"?

[Peter Pedant]

no the editor puts it back in

we used to work at Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital and the definite article always crept back in even tho I took time out to tell editors there wasnt one.

The London Hospital which DID have a THE
became Royal London Hospital without the THE
and about 50% of the time the editors cope

odd that

[Tilly2]

Don't some people get in a tizzy about the strangest things?

[New Judge]

What's strange about this? It is a perfectly legitimate and interesting question. I must say it had never crossed my mind until this uestion was raised, but the various answers make interesting reading - not at all strange.

Interesting about "The" Strand, Jonathan. I quite agree that few people say that the "Coal Hole" pub is in Strand. They invariably say it is The Strand. But how many people say the nearby Waldorf Hotel is in The Aldwych. I've only ever heard it referred to as Aldwych. Very odd.

[Tilly2]

New Judge, I was referring to Roseandlily getting annoyed about the addition of the word, 'The'.

It seems, to me, to be such a minor thing to get upset about.