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 …
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”.
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 …
forward: (adjective, adverb) in the direction one is facing; toward the future; bold; presumptuous; (noun) an advancing player in sport; (verb) to send something (like email) to an additional location foreword: (noun) an introductory note in the front matter of a literary work, usually written by someone other than the …
discreet: (adjective) secretive; careful; modest; self-restrained in speech and behaviour discrete: (adjective) separate; distinct; individual; detached; not continuous Here are the memory tricks I use to help me decide whether to use discreet or discrete. In discreet, which is used for keeping things quiet, the two Es are close together …
letdown: (noun) disappointment; frustration; disillusionment; anticlimax; setback let down: (verb phrase) disappoint; lower; begin landing an aircraft; lengthen; give bad news
viola: (noun) a stringed musical instrument that is slightly larger than a violin but significantly smaller than a cello voilà: (interjection) loosely translated from the French means “There it is!”; literally means “See there!” from the imperative form of the verb voir (to see) and the adverb là (there)
barely: (adverb) hardly; scarcely; by a very little; sparsely; almost imperceptibly barley: (noun) a grain used for food and in the making of beer; the plant from which the grain is harvested
about: (adverb) approximately, almost, in the opposite direction; in no particular direction; all around; (preposition) on the subject of; in the vicinity of; (adjective) nearby a bout: (indefinite article + noun) contest, match; period of time, especially to deal with something (e.g., a bout of the flu)
fell: (adjective) evil, cruel, sinister, deadlyPart of the expression “one fell swoop”. foul: (adjective) unpleasant or offensive, especially relating to smell or taste; immoral; polluted; stormy, when relating to weatherNOT part of the expression “one fell swoop”. “Fell” is also a noun, a verb, and the past tense of the …
