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 …

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: viola, voilà

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)

Monday Muddle: about, a bout

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)