Originally it referred to drunkenness.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:17, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

Mmmm...
Still doesn't make sense, but I've given up in trying to find sense to your crazy pronunciation. YOU NEED RULES!!
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:26, Reply)

Hahaha
Like saying:

"Tough" and "Slough"
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:27, Reply)

Thought, though, dough...
I hate those. I think once I found there are 11 ways of saying "ough"
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:32, Reply)

That's reminded me of an old puzzle question.
How do you pronounce the following? - GHOTI
The answer being that if you take gh from tough; o from women and ti from station it's pronounced FISH.
(Cave Duck, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:38, Reply)

I think I've seen that puzzle before, but never the answer
quite interesting
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:40, Reply)

i think there's a user on here
(or was at one point) called Ghoti Fingers
(bamboozled Can hear you getting fatter, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:46, Reply)

i pronounce those the same
mostly because I come from a village called Hough (pronounced Huff). Therefore Slough is Sluff
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:40, Reply)

There are rules. It's just that nobody really knows what they are.
Ever played Mornington Crescent?
(BrianHequator was stretching owls, on, or around, Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:27, Reply)

No
And I don't believe you have rules. You just say words as you've heard them before. If you're just reading a new word, you can have a good guess, but can't say for sure how it sounds.
(Aberracion Life's getting very complicated, but a lot of fun., Thu 22 Jul 2010, 16:33, Reply)