‘Current’ or ‘currant’?

September 21, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

Currant

A small dried fruit made from a seedless grape*
A small round acid berry
A family of shrubs that produce berries (including redcurrants and blackcurrants)

Current

Of the immediate present – happening or being done/used now
Most recent or up-to-date
Commonly accepted or in common use
A flow of air or water in a definite direction, particularly through a body of air or water that has less movement
A flow of electricity or the rate of flow of electric charge
A general trend or drift (thoughts, opinions and events)

* Only acceptable in foodstuffs if it has first been soaked in copious amounts of brandy, rum or similar (as far as I am concerned).

Major-domo

September 18, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 2 Comments

The chief steward or butler of a large household, the person who runs an organization or project, or a person who speaks or makes arrangements for another person.

The plural is major-domos.

The word’s origins are 16th century, stemming from Spanish and Italian variants of the medieval Latin major domus meaning ‘highest official of the household’ (Oxford Dictionaries).

‘I.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ are not interchangeable

September 16, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 16 Comments

When I proofread essays, I often find that these two abbreviations are used as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.

I.e. is the abbreviation for id est. This means ‘that is (to say)’. Use i.e. when you want to introduce another way of putting what you have already written.

E.g. is the abbreviation for exempli gratia. This means ‘for example’. Use e.g. when you want to introduce an illustrative example.

‘Cease’ and ‘seize’

September 14, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 8 Comments

I spotted this for the first time only recently.

There seems to be particular confusion over phrases such as ‘never ceases to amaze me’ or ‘seize the moment’. ‘Cease the moment’ is wrong, and here is why:

Cease

To bring or come to an end

Seize

To take hold of forcibly, suddenly or quickly; to grab
To take by force or capture
To take possession (of something) by warrant or legal right
To take immediate advantage of (usually an opportunity)
To take (an opportunity) in an eager and decisive manner
To affect or fill the mind (of someone) suddenly
To understand (something) clearly or quickly
To become jammed, usually through overheating (mechanical parts). Often used as seize(d) up
To stop being able to work or move normally (usage is often as seize up)

Jack-in-office

September 11, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 6 Comments

Jack-in-office is a term primarily used in British English.

A jack-in-office is a self-important, rude, and/or petty minor official (or other person holding some authority). The plural is jacks-in-office.

You may recognise the word from the well-known painting by Edwin Landseer called A Jack in Office, and a character in Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story The Adventure of the Speckled Band calls Sherlock Holmes ‘the Scotland Yard Jack-in-office’.

Yours sincerely/faithfully

September 9, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 7 Comments

I can’t remember the last time I wrote or received a personal letter. I suspect that, sadly, I am not the only one.

Business letters, on the other hand, are still sent and received fairly often. Writers often worry over which ending to use with which greeting. Many of the more formal closings are simply no longer used – Your most obedient servant in particular.

If you begin the letter with Dear Mr Smith, Dear John Smith, or Dear John, then you should end with Yours sincerely. If you use the first name only and know the person well, you could use With kind regards, Best wishes, or a variant of these. The choice that you make should reflect the level of formality the letter requires.

If you begin the letter with Dear Madam, Dear Sir, or Dear Sir or Madam, you should end with Yours faithfully. Yours truly is a less formal alternative.

‘Curb’ and ‘kerb’

September 7, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 8 Comments

In British English, curb and kerb have different meanings.

Curb: a restraint or something that holds something else back. To restrain.

Kerb: the edging to a pavement (between it and the road) or a raised path.

In American English, the spelling curb is used instead of kerb.

‘Insure’ and ‘ensure’

September 2, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 5 Comments

These words have overlapping meanings to do with certainty and security.

Insure:

To guarantee or protect (usually against risk, damage or loss) in a financial sense
To take out or issue an insurance policy

Ensure:

To make certain
To make safe or protect

In American English, insure is used instead of ensure. It is much less common to see this in British English (and probably to be avoided).

‘Flare’ or ‘flair’?

August 31, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

Flare and flair are homophones, and homophones are often confused. Flare tends to be used when the word should be flair. I think this is because we are more used to seeing and using flare (it has a wider range of uses).

Flair

A natural talent, aptitude or ability.
Stylishness (usually distinctive) or originality.

Flare

A device that produces a sudden blaze of light.
A blaze of light used to illuminate, alert, or signal distress or location.
A part that spreads outwards from a narrow to wider shape.
Flares are trousers that have a ‘flare’ at the bottom of each leg.*
An unsteady flame or a sudden burst of flame.
A sudden explosion in the chromosphere and corona of a star that results in an intense burst of radiation (astronomy).
The extraneous light on film that is caused by reflections inside the camera (photography).
The curve of a vessel’s bow (outwards and upwards), which is designed to throw the water outward when moving.
To break out suddenly (temper, conflict) or a burst of intense emotion.
To glow with a sudden intensity (light or someone’s eyes). It can also mean ‘dilate’ or ‘widen’ in terms of nostrils.
An illness can flare up – a sudden occurrence or recurrence. Also used to apply to violence or temper.

*Before my time.

‘Complement’ or ‘compliment’?

August 28, 2015March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

This is another post written because of suggestions I have received from readers of my blog (thank you).

https://pixabay.com/en/kitchen-work-restaurant-cook-chef-731351/

My compliments to the chef.

Compliment:

An expression of admiration or praise.
Compliments are formal greetings.

Complement:

A person or thing that completes something.
An accompaniment to something that makes it perfect or brings out its good qualities.
A full number or complete amount of something.
The full amount of officers and crew needed to man a ship.
A word or words added to the verb to complete the meaning of the predicate in a sentence (grammar).
The angle added to a specified angle to produce a right angle (geometry).
The members of a set that are not found in a given subset (maths).
A group of proteins found in blood plasma and tissue fluid that combine with an antigen-antibody complex to cause the breakdown of foreign cells (physiology).

The meaning is the same when using the words as verbs. You compliment me on my dress. My shoes complement my dress.

Complimentary and complementary

The difference here is largely the same as above. However, complimentary has an additional meaning to expressing admiration or praise: it can also mean given free of charge.

Complementary means completing or forming a complement, or refers to the relationship between things that go well together.

Spelling

It may help as an aid to spelling to remember that a complement completes something and complete is spelt with an e (as well as the ‘e’ sound when pronounced).