With the coming of winter sports, the controversy has been revived over the pronunciation of the work "ski."

Of these queer skates we seldom heard,
   When I was young and not too wise;
And, when I came across the word,
   I usually called them "skys."

And it was quite a shock to me,
   When some kind friend from overseas,
Corrected my philology,
   And told me to pronounce it "skees."

But here again, I understand,
   Precisians I'd failed to appease;
For one who'd been in Switzerland,
   Informed me that the word was "shees."

But, whether "skee," or "sky," or "shee,"
   Makes little difference to me;
For since I do not see the need,
   I've never "skeed" or "skied," or "sheed."

"Den"
Sun, 7 June 1927, p7