Words

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Hand-wash

Hand-wash is a verb meaning to wash something by hand. Hand soap can sometimes be referred to as handwash or hand wash. When talking about the act of washing one’s hands, there is not a official listing in most dictionaries. Medical reference books use the spelling of handwashing, but most other sources, including spell check, use hand …

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Minx vs. Mink Whats the Difference 1

Minx vs. Mink – What’s the Difference?

Is a small, brown, weasley animal a mink or minx? If you have gotten these two words mixed up in the past, you aren’t alone. They are not only similar in spelling but also sound similar. But they mean two very different things. A mink is an animal, while a …

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Gist or Jist – Difference & Meaning

The English language has many nuances that can confuse people attempting to make their writing sound clear and concise to an audience. Because of this, I write a lot about homophone pairs or words that sound the same but are spelled differently. And there is a good reason to do …

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Battle royal

A battle involving many fighters can be called a battle royal. It is not spelled battle royale unless you are specifically referencing a book, game, or movie by that name. The plural form can be either battle royals or battles royal. History Battles royal were common in England in the 17th and 18th …

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Consultative

Consultative is an adjective that describes something that gives advice, or only gives advice but cannot take action. A common misspelling is consultive. Consultative status is a noun phrase created by the United Nations to refer to non-governmental organizations that were consulting the Economic and Social Council. Examples The planned consultative meeting …

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Udder vs. utter

An udder is a mammary organ that secretes milk, characteristic of cows and other mammals. Utter is an adjective describing something as complete or absolute.  Utter is also a verb meaning to speak or to put forged money into circulation. Examples “It’s just an utter tragedy to lose a man of that caliber in the …

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Smokey vs. smoky

Smokey is a proper noun and first name, whereas smoky is an adjective referring to an object being filled with or smelling of smoke. Until recently smokey was an accepted spelling of smoky in the Oxford English Dictionary. However, it is now thought of as old-fashioned. Examples Elsewhere, the choice ran …

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What is a Mcjob? – Definition & Examples

Want to hear something utterly ridiculous? In 2007, McDonald’s threatened the Oxford English Dictionary to change the meaning of McJob. According to the corporation, the description was outdated and offensive to the thousands of service workers. My take on the whole thing is a mix of English and History lessons …

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Headwind

Headwind is a wind that blows directly opposite of forward motion, or from the front. Headwind can also be used to describe anything that opposes growth or movement. It should always be spelled as one word, but can be singular or plural depending on context. The antonym for headwind is tailwind, which blows from …

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Feckless

Feckless is an adjective to describe something that is worthless or irresponsible. Its root, feck, comes from the Scottish word for effect. So feckless could be thought of as something or someone that is without effect. It also can be used as a noun or adverb, fecklessness and fecklessly, however, use in this …

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