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, méringue

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 …

Monday Muddle: forward, foreword

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 …

Monday Muddle: discreet, discrete

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 …