Monday Muddle: peal, peel

peel: (noun) the outer layer of a fruit or vegetable; (verb) to remove the outer layer of a fruit or vegetableUsed in the expression “to keep your eyes peeled”. peal: (noun) a loud ringing of bells; a loud, sustained or repeated sound, such as thunder or laughter; (verb to ring …

Monday Muddle: absence, absenteeism

absence: (noun) the state of being away from somewhere; the period of time spent away; a lack of something absenteeism: (noun) the habit of being away without good reason from somewhere you are regularly obligated to be (work, school); the rate or frequency of habitual absence

Monday Muddle: muster, mustard

muster: (verb) assemble (usually military troops) for inspection or for preparation for battle; (noun) assembly of troops for inspection or for a military exercisePart of the expression “to pass muster”. mustard: (noun) condiment made from seeds of the mustard plant; mustard plantNOT part of the expression “to pass muster”. “To …

Monday Muddle: heal, heel

heal: (verb) to recover from an illness or injury; to return or restore to good health heel: (noun) a part of the body; the back portion of some things, such as a foot, shoe, or loaf of bread; someone who acts in an unkind or unscrupulous manner; (verb) to follow …

Monday Muddle: rein, reign, rain

rein: (noun) a long, narrow strap typically used in the plural to guide a horse, and metaphorically used to guide people or situations; (verb) to guide; to keep under control (used with adverbs like “in” and “back”)Part of the expression “free rein”. reign: (noun) the period in which someone holds …

Monday Muddle: cheque, check

cheque: (British English) (noun) a written order to a bank to pay a specified sum of money to a specified person check: (American English) (noun) a written order to a bank to pay a specified sum of money to a specified person check: (both British English and American English) (noun) …

Monday Muddle: when, whenever

when: (adverb) at what time; in what circumstances; (relative adverb) introduces a clause that relates to time; (conjunction) at the time that, during the time that; considering that, although whenever: (conjunction) any time that; every time that; at whatever time that

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 …