Lexical Vexations
defuse v. to disarm a bomb or, more metaphorically, a tense situation.
diffuse adj. spread or scattered over an area.
Words in the Wild: There wouldn’t have been a diffuse pink mist in the room if the secret agent had managed to defuse the bomb in time.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.