I always thought I made that up. One day, I think I said it to my kids then thought, "Why do I say that? I just made that up and it doesn't even make sense." I guess I didn't. Yeah! The caller was from the Los Angeles area. I was in San Bernardino County -- also in So.Cal. I wonder if there was something in the California Teaching Credential at that time. I haven't heard it since then -- at least until the phone call today. Whew!
I learned that phrase in elementary school in the early 70s. There was a song in the 80s by the title, "AEIOU Sometimes Y" by Ebn Ozn.
Here's a puzzle from Will Shortz that I heard on an NPR program: There is a location whose name includes all the vowels - A, E, I, O, U, and even Y and W - within twelve letters. (Hint: There are three words.) What is that location? [I'll post the answer in a few days.]
Utica, New York?
Of course, "Have it your way" contains them all (a and y, twice), in 13 letters, without proper nouns. "Have it our way," the service philosophy of some corporations and governments, fits them in 12 letters, but sounds a bit off putting and contrived.
Growing up as "Billy", I never questioned whether Y could be a vowel, but I never knew of a word where W was used as a vowel -- until I tried to master a few words from my Welsh ancestors. There, I'm told, it makes the "oo" sound as in cool.
Now "cwm rhonda", the most common hymn music, is perfectly pronounceable.
But then, with a shock, I realized that I couldn't distinguish between the "consonant W" and the "vowel W" at all any more!
My given name is William, started with a great consonant W. Or is it? If I say "oo-illiam", I can't hear a difference.
Witch, oo-itch. Bowing, Bo-oo-ing.
Some times, I think there's just a very subtle little difference at the start of the W, and some times I can't hear it at all.
Now I think EVERY w is a vowel...