To radio announcers and reporters

[tigertoy]

Ord*i*nances, with three syllables, are local laws and regulations.  They hardly ever explode, so you don't need to tell us when they fail to explode.

Bombs and shells are ordnance, with two syllables.

Comments

I learned that the hard way!

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

You know, the pronunciation is sufficiently ambiguous that I can't really fault broadcasters. However, I am ashamed to admit that I learned the difference after pulishing Rockets of the WOrld, which included several references to the role of the "Army Bureau of Ordinance" in rocket development.

I suppose that as hard ways to learn about the difference between ordnance and ordinace go, it beats having your hand blown off by what you thought was the city building code.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

However, if the regulations do explode, we definitely want to know about it...