diffuse/ defuse

[Jonathan Lighter]

These verbs are increasingly confused in writing, with "defuse" threatening to oust the other.

Anyone else notice this?

I gave a high school English teacher the following inquisitorial test:

"Which is the write word?    'The ghostly vapor was slowly (diffused / defused) throughout the haunted tax office.'"

She immediately selected "defused" as correct.  Under further inquisition she confessed that "diffused" just looked wrong."

E pede Herculem,

JL

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com