Monday Muddle: celery, salary

celery: (noun) a plant with long, dense, curved stalks and small leaves; part of the parsley family; a low-calorie food that can be eaten raw or cooked salary: (noun) compensation paid to an employee by an employer for work done; wages for a job that are paid at a fixed …

Monday Muddle: ladder, latter

ladder: (noun) an often portable device that assists people to physically climb up and down; made of two straight or slightly angled sides with steps or rungs between them  latter: (adjective, noun) the second of two choices Some people accept the use of “latter” with more than two choices, but purists …

Monday Muddle: toe, tow

toe: (noun) body part; digit of the human foot; part of footwear that covers front of foot; (verb) push, touch or kick something with front of footPart of the expression “to toe the line.” tow: (verb) pull, drag or haul something (often a vehicle) behind you; (noun) the act of …

Monday Muddle: bought, brought

bought: (past tense, past participle of the verb to buy) purchased; obtained in exchange for money or some other form of payment; accepted as truth  brought: (past tense, past participle of the verb to bring) took something to a place; led someone to a place; caused a condition; initiated an …

Monday Muddle: moot, mute

moot: (adjective) debatable but with no definite answer; unsolvable so not worth debatingUsed in the expression, “it’s a moot point.” mute: (adjective) speechless; unable to speakNOT used in the expression, “it’s a moot point.”

Monday Muddle: rap, wrap

rap: (noun) a sharp knock or hit; type of music; informal talk, chat; blame, responsibility, consequences, punishmentUsed in the expression “to get a bad rap.” wrap: (noun) wrapping paper; an outer garment; sandwich filling rolled in a tortilla; the end of a filming or recording sessionNOT used in the expression …

Monday Muddle: tenet, tenant

tenet: (noun) a belief, principle, or opinion held to be true by members of a group, profession, or religionUsed in the expression “tenets of the faith.”  tenant: (noun) someone who rents and occupies property that is owned by someone elseNOT used in the expression “tenets of the faith.”

Monday Muddle: meringue, merengue, méringe

meringue: (noun) a mixture of egg whites and sugar beaten together and baked as a topping for dessert or as a confection  merengue: (noun) music that originated in the Dominican Republic and is popular in Latin American communities; a dance; the Spanish spelling of meringue  méringue: (noun) Haitian folk music …