[Ads-l] diffuse/ defuse

[Jonathan Lighter]

Goes the other way too:

"President Donald Trump has finally realized that he launched a political
grenade at his own party when he declared war on Iran—and that he has no
way to diffuse it."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/opinion-spooked-trump-lets-slip-152306278.html

JL

On Mon, Jan 31, 2005 at 6:42 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> I've already answered this one, Fritz....
>
> JL
>
> *FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US
> <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>>* wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: FRITZ JUENGLING
> Subject: Re: diffuse/ defuse
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Didn't she say anything about 'write word'?
>
> >>> wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM 01/29/05 02:58PM >>>
> 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
>
> ------------------------------
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'
> <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=30648/*http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/jibjabinaugural.html>
>
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org