‘Hoarse’ and ‘horse’

March 13, 2017October 14, 2017Hannah McCall 5 Comments

I can’t remember ever seeing hoarse used when the writer actually meant horse (e.g. “I’m going to turn out my hoarse”) but it does seem common the other way round (e.g. “sorry, I’ve gone a bit horse”). That’s all the excuse I need to write a post that enables me to use a magnificent image of a magnificent animal.

Hoarse

(of a voice) rough, harsh and/or unclear
having a rough, harsh and/or unclear voice

Horse

a solid-hoofed, four-legged domesticated mammal with a mane and tail
a frame or structure used to support or mount something or someone
to provide someone or something with a horse (or horses)

My tip: hoarse is often harsh.

Sources:

Collins English Dictionary, 2009
Oxford Dictionaries Online
Pixabay (image)

Proot

February 3, 2017June 2, 2017Hannah McCall 3 Comments

For the topic of this blog post, I’ve picked a word that has a very limited use. But it does allow me to use a picture of an adorable-looking donkey.

Proot is a word said to donkeys (or mules) to encourage them to move faster. Its origin is unknown. It could be related to the word proo, which is used to call cows and command horses. My understanding is that proo is imitative of a sound the animals naturally respond to.

The first recorded use is found in Robert Louis Stevenson’s account of his solo hiking trip through part of France. Modestine was the donkey who carried Stevenson’s belongings.

“‘Proot!’ seemed to have lost its virtue. I prooted like a lion, I prooted mellifluously like a sucking-dove; but Modestine would be neither softened nor intimidated.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson, Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, 1879.

Sources:

Oxford English Dictionary Online
Pixabay (image)

‘Marten’ and ‘martin’

January 16, 2017Hannah McCall 4 Comments

marten You might be most familiar with these homophones as a brand of footwear (Dr. Martens) and a common male name (Martin). But if you find yourself writing or reading about wildlife, it is important to know the difference in that context.