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What is the meaning of "cul de sac"?
(Ranjeet Gupta, Patna)
It is a street that is open at one end only; in other words, the street has an entrance but no exit. You enter and exit the street the same way. Americans call it a "dead end". Some refer to it as a "blind alley".
The "u" in "cul" is like the "u" in "but", "hut", and "shut". The "e" in "de" is like the "i" in "bit", "hit", and "sit", while the "a" in "sac" is pronounced like the "a" in "sat", "fat", and "bat". The main stress is on "cul". The Americans tend to put the main stress on "sac". Here are a few examples.
*They live in a huge house in a quiet cul de sac.
*By the time the thief realised he had entered a cul de sac, it was too late.
S. Upendran
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