by Heather on May 10, 2010
Lexical Vexations
rout 1. n. a terrible defeat; 2. a rabble or mob; 3. a disturbance.
route n. path, road, course.
Words in the Wild: Despite intensive training the Mighty Slugs suffered a crushing rout at their first cricket match of the season. And to add insult to injury the players had to put up with the mockery of the winners as they all inched forward on the only route back into town.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
Want to turn the tables and show the English language who’s who? You have until May 31, 2010, to take up the gauntlet of the Vest-Pocket Challenge and earn your chance to be entered in a draw for a fabulously bookish prize package.
by Heather on May 3, 2010
Lexical Vexations
I found this lexical vexation in the book I’m working on at the moment. Could be it was just a typo, but since it has cropped up twice so far, I thought I’d add it to our growing list of vexations.
taught v. past tense form of to teach.
taut adj. tightly drawn, without slack.
Words in the Wild: Henry thought he’d taught Scribbles to walk properly on her lead, but she was charging ahead at such a pace that the leash was taut and he was pretty sure his arm was separating from his shoulder.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
Want to turn the tables and show the English language who’s who? You have until May 31, 2010, to take up the gauntlet of the Vest-Pocket Challenge and earn your chance to be entered in a draw for a fabulously bookish prize package.
by Heather on April 12, 2010
Lexical Vexations
complementary adj. completing something or satisfying a lack in something.
complimentary adj. 1. flattering; expressing praise. 2. given freely and without cost.
Words in the Wild: After she left her complimentary remarks about the concierge with the hotel manager, Sonja found complimentary scones outside her door each morning with complementary clotted cream and jam.
This lexical vexation often finds its way into writing, but it’s pretty easy to check for once you know to be on the lookout. Complementary has the e from complete, and complimentary has the i from compliment.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on March 2, 2010
Lexical Vexations
ferment v. to create carbon dioxide and alcohol from carbohydrate-rich substances via an enzymatic process.
foment v. to promote or encourage; to incite.
Words in the Wild: Zach, after trying to climb up on the porch roof, set to fomenting discord between his two older sisters before falling asleep at the dinner table. Wondering what was up with him, his dad checked the fridge to see if the grape juice had fermented or something.
This post was inspired by some characters trying to ferment a rebellion in one of the books I was working on today. I suppose they might have been plying the masses with ale in the spirit of rabble-rousing, but I helped them in their efforts by changing the word to foment.
And, yes, I know Webster’s says you can use ferment to mean foment, but I’m afraid I’m just not willing to budge on this one. Beg to differ? Let me know in the comments and we can foment a debate.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on February 22, 2010
Lexical Vexations
hoarse adj. rough sounding.
horse n. a hoofed, herbivorous quadruped mammal.
Words in the Wild: No, I said I was hoarse after last weekend’s party, not a horse.
Reminder: Unless you’re a horse whisperer you should not be speaking in a horse whisper. Just sayin’.
The contributor of the photo of the Icelandic horse is Andy Carvin. The photo is copyrighted but also licenced for further reuse.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on February 7, 2010
Lexical Vexations
picaresque adj. having roguish qualities; a type of fiction featuring the exploits of a roguish character.
picturesque adj. beautiful, as pleasing as a painted image, idyllic.
Words in the Wild: The picturesque park around the corner from Veronika’s house had been an oasis of calm for her…until the day those picaresque kids arrived and destroyed every sapling they found there.
Picaresque comes from the Spanish picaro meaning rascal. Add the suffix -esque meaning like and you have picaresque or rascal-like.
Picturesque came to English from the French pittoresque, which means of or relating to painting. Picturesque means painting-like.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on January 18, 2010
Lexical Vexations
holey adj. having one or more holes.
holy adj. divine.
wholly adv. in its entirety; altogether.
Words in the Wild: To Katia’s annoyance, her mother insisted that wearing holey tights was wholly inappropriate on such a holy occasion.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on January 10, 2010
Lexical Vexations
throne n. a fancy chair for royalty.
thrown v. (past participle of to throw) propelled by force through the air.
Words in the Wild: Not even the fear of being thrown out of it could keep Marie Antoinette’s Pomeranian from sitting on her throne when she wasn’t there.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on December 29, 2009
Lexical Vexations
discreet adj. unobtrusive; judicious.
discrete adj. separate, distinct.
Words in the Wild: Stephanie and Sanjay were separating the incoming resumes into discrete “interview” and “maybe” piles as they were submitted. But, unbeknownst to the applicants, they were also discreetly tossing the “definitely nots” directly into the recycling bin.
If you have trouble keeping these words straight, you can use this handy mnemonic: the Es in discrete are separate from one another, the Es in discreet are huddled together to be less noticeable.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
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