home/hone switch

[Stahlke, Herbert F.W.]

Using "hone" for "home" in expressions like "home in on" has been common
for at least two decades.  The MWDEU's earliest citation is from George
H. W. Bush in 1978, so it must have been around a good bit before that.
Today, however, I came across my first instance of "home" for "hone", in
the sense of "sharpen".  Associated Press reporter Chris Duncan, in a
story picked up by the Ball State Daily News, writes about Olympic beach
volleyball winners Walsh and May:

 

"Questions about the pair's Olympic chances arose in June, shortly after
May pulled an abdominal muscle.  She spent most of the summer rehabbing
while Walsh kept homing her game with other partners."

 

Is this a nonce instance, or are "home" and "hone" trading places?

 

Herb Stahlke