Batter Up!

March 31 marked the the start of baseball season; the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros at the Astros ball diamond. Ahhh baseball, that all-American sport! It makes me want to reminisce.

I used to play softball for a rec team when I was younger. My dad was my coach, so as you can imagine I heard a lot of “keep your eye on the ball” when I was up to bat. And unfortunately, I also heard a lot of that “a swing and a miss” phrase too. I never got one out of the park.

But I redeemed myself as a pitcher; I did strike out a couple of batters in my day. And I threw a couple of people out at first after they tried to bunt (and subsequently realized that was a bad idea).

Keep in mind this was a rec league, so there wasn’t any base stealing and tie games were allowed (just to keep things rolling) -- no extra innings for us. But I got a nice participation medal for my effort.

diamond -- relating to baseball, the diamond is the whole playing field or the square formed by the four bases.

diamond -- a transparent, flawless or almost flawless piece of this stone especially when cut and polished, valued as a precious gem.

team -- a number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest: a football team.

teem -- to abound or swardm; be prolific or fertile (usually followed by with).

eye on -- part of a popular phase in baseball and golf, “keep your eye on the ball”.

ion -- one of the electrically charged particles formed in a gas by electric discharge or the like.

bat -- a wooden club used in certain games, as baseball and cricket, to strike the ball.

bat -- any of numerous flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, of worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate regions, having modified forelimbs that serve as wings and are covered with a membranous skin extending to the hind limbs.

miss -- to fail to hit or strike: to miss a target.

miss -- a title of respect for an unmarried woman, conventionally prefixed to her name or to the name of that which she represents: Miss Mary Jones; Miss Sweden.

park -- an enclosed area or stadium used for sports: a baseball park.

park -- to place or leave (a vehicle) in a certain place for a period of time.

pitcher -- Baseball. the player who throws the ball to the opposing batter.

pitcher -- a container, usually with a handle and spout or lip, for holding and pouring liquids.

strike -- in baseball, a pitch that is swung at and missed by the batter, or a pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.

strike -- a concerted stopping of work or withdrawal of workers’ services, as to compel an employer to accede to workers’ demands or in protest against terms or conditions imposed by an employer.

batter -- a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

batter -- a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cookery.

threw -- Baseball. to cause to be out by throwing the ball to a fielder, especially an infielder, in time to prevent a batter or runner from reaching base safely: The shortstop backhanded the ball and threw the batter out at first.

through -- in at one end, side, or surface and out at the other: to pass through a tunnel; We drove through Denver without stopping. Sun came through the window.

thru -- an informal, simplified spelling of through.

bunt -- Baseball. to bat (a pitched ball) very gently so that it rolls into the infield close to home plate, usually by holding the bat loosely in hands spread apart and allowing the ball to bounce off it.

bunt -- nautical. the baggy cenre of a fishing net or other piece of fabric, such as a square sail.

base -- the bottom support of anything; that on which a thing stands or rests: a metal base for the table.

bass -- low in pitch; of the lowest pitch or range: a bass voice; a bass instrument.

steal -- Baseball. (of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch.

steel -- any of various modified forms of iron, artificially produced, having a carbon content less than that of pig iron and more than that of wrought iron, and having qualities of hardness, elasticity, and strength varying according to composition and heat treatment: generally categorized as having a high, medium, or low-carbon content.

tie -- to make or be the same score; be equal in a contest: The teams tied for first place in the league.

tie -- a necktie, a cord, string, or the like, used for tying, fastening, binding, or wrapping something.

medal -- a flat piece of metal, often a disk but sometimes a cross, star, or other form, usually bearing an inscription or design, issues to commemorate a person, action, or event, or given as a reward for bravery, merit, or the like: a gold medal for the best swimmer.

meddle -- to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly: Stop meddling in my personal life!

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Follow-up to March 1, 2013 Post

Speaking of the end of the flu season and visits to your doctor:

Isn’t it amazing what doctors can find out just by shining a light in your eyes to check your sight, and in your ears to make sure an infection isn’t impairing your hearing.

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light -- something that makes things visible or affords illumination: All colors depend on light.

lite -- an informal, simplified spelling of light, used especially in labeling or advertising commercial products: lite beer.

eye -- the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.

aye -- an affirmative vote or voter, especially in British Parliament, corresponding to yea in U.S. Congress.

I -- the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself.

sight -- the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.

site -- the position or location of a town, building, etc., especially as to its environment: the site of our summer cabin.

cite -- to quote (a passage, book, author, etc.), especially as an authority: He cited the constitution in his defense.

ear -- the organ of hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates, in humans consisting of an external ear that gathers sound vibrations, a middle ear in which the vibrations resonate against the tympanic membrane, and a fluid-filled internal ear that maintains balance and that conducts the tympanic vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them as impulses to the brain.

ear (corn) -- the part of a cereal plan, as corn, wheat, etc., that contains the flowers and hence the fruit, grains, or kernels.

hear -- to perceive by the ear: Didn’t you hear the doorbell?

here -- in this place; in this spot or locality (opposed to there): Put the pen here.

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

The End of Flu Season!

Now that we’re into March, the flu season should be wrapping up -- thank goodness! If you got sick this season, I hope you went in for a doctor visit to figure out what was ailing you. Maybe you were looking a little pale and coughing; maybe you felt tired and weak; maybe you were racked with pain and felt like you were going to die. Whatever your symptoms, I hope you’re feeling better now.

Wishing you and yours a healthy rest of the year!

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flu -- a specific variety of influenza, usually named for its point of dissemination or its animal vector: Hong Kong flu; swine flu.
flue -- a passage or duct for smoke in a chimney.

sick -- afflicted with ill health or disease; ailing.
sic -- to attack (used especially in commanding a doc): Sic ‘em!
sic --  so; thus; usually written parenthetically to denote that a word, phrase, passage, etc., that may appear strange or incorrect has been written intentionally or has been quoted verbatim: He signed his name as e. e. cummings (sic).

ail -- to be unwell; feel pain; be ill: He’s been ailing for some time.
ale -- a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.

pale -- lacking intensity of color; colorless or whitish: a pale complexion.
pail -- bucket.

tire -- to have the strength reduced or exhausted, as by labor or exertion; become fatigued; be sleepy.
tire -- a ring or band of rubber, either solid or hollow and inflated, or of metal, placed over the rim of a wheel to provide traction, resistance to wear, or other desirable properties.

weak -- not strong; liable to yield, break, or collapse under pressure or strain; fragile; frail: a weak fortress; a weak spot in armor.
week -- a period of seven successive days, usually understood as beginning with Sunday and ending with Saturday.

rack -- to torture; distress acutely; torment: His body was racked with pain.
wrack -- damage or destruction: wrack and ruin. Also, seaweed or other vegetation cast on the shore.

pain -- physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
pane -- one of the divisions of a window or the like, consisting of a single plate of glass in a frame.

die -- to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.
dye -- a coloring material or matter.

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Just in time for Valentine's Day

After last week’s list of angry homonyms, I thought it would be fun to do a 180 and come up with a list of happy homonyms. And this is a great week for it since Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. I hope you’re all busy making plans to surprise your significant others this week and find ways to show and tell them how special they are to you. It’s a time to be gay and merry, so if you’re struggling to come up with some ideas, here are a few:

1. go the traditional route with roses and chocolates -- the scent and taste of these is an aphrodisiac,
2. shake things up with a nighttime wade on the beach (if you have a beach nearby),
3. let your lover relax and lie around with you wait on them with breakfast in bed,
4. spend some time being close together, or
5. propose on bended knee with a simple “Will you marry me?”

Whatever you choose, I hope you all have an excellent day!

gay -- having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.
gay -- of, pertaining to, or exhibiting sexual desire or behavior director toward a person or persons of one's own sex; homosexual: a gay couple.

merry -- full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit: a merry little man.
marry -- to take in marriage: After dating for five years, I finally asked her to marry me.

rose -- any of the wild or cultivated, usually prickly-stemmed, pinnate-leaved, showy-flowered shrubs o the genus Rosa.
rose -- simple past tense of rise.


scent -- a distinctive odor, especially when agreeable: the scent of roses.
sent -- simple past tense and part participle of send.
cent -- a bronze coin of the U.S., the 100th part of a U.S. dollar: made of steel during part of 1943.

wade -- to walk in water, when partially immersed: He wasn't swimming, he was wading
weighed -- simple past tense of weigh.

lie -- to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline.
lie -- a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.
lye -- a highly concentrated, aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide.

wait -- to supply the wants of a person, as serving a meal or serving a customer in a store.
weight -- the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.

close (proximity) -- being in or having proximity in space or time: The barn is so close to the house that you can hear the animals. His birthday is in May, close to mine.
close (shut the door) -- to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.; shut.

close (shut) -- to put (something) in a position to obstruct an entrance, opening, etc.; shut.
clothes -- garments for the body; articles of dress; wearing apparel.

closer -- being in or having proximity in space or time: Come closer to me.
closer -- a person or thing that closes.


All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Them's Fightin' Words

It happens -- someone says or does something that just gets you extremely pissed! Then you play some scenarios in your head about what you might do to this person. You may, for example, want to choke the crap out of them by wringing their neck. And after you’ve wrung their neck, you just might feel like breaking their face with your fist as you punch and beat them repeatedly! (Or so I’ve seen in numerous action movies...)

Which brings me to my list of homonyms for the week:

pissed -- angry or annoyed.
pissed -- drunk; intoxicated.

might -- simple past tense of may: They might be at the station.
might -- physical strength: He swung with all his might.
mite -- any of numerous small to microscopic arachnids of the subclass Acari, including species that are parasitic on animals and plants or that feed on decaying matter and stored foods.

wring -- to twist forcibly: He wrung the chicken's neck.
ring -- a typically circular band of metal or other durable material, especially one of golf or other precious metal, often set with gems, for wearing on the finger as an ornament, a token of betrothal or marriage, etc.

wrung -- past tense of wring.
rung -- one of the crosspieces, usually rounded, forming the steps of a ladder.

break -- to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments: He broke a bone.
brake -- a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle or other moving mechanism by the absorption or transfer of the energy of momentum, usually by means of friction.

punch -- a tursting blow, especially with the fist.
punch -- any mixed drink containing fruit juice and, usually, alcoholic liquor, generally hot and spiced.

beat -- to strike violently or forcefully and repeatedly.
beet -- any of various biennial plants belonging to the genus Beta, of the amaranth family, especially B. vulgaris, having a fleshy red or white root.


All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Shakespeare - A Homonym Master

I have to pay homage to Shakespeare - a homonym master. I have no idea if he actually knew he'd created a sentence full of homonyms... but nonetheless he did and I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

"To be, or not to be"

This is one of the most famous Shakespeare quotes, and every word is a homonym. He goes on to say more of course, but not all of those are homonyms so I'm choosing to cut this quote short! 

Here are the definitions:

To - used for expressing: motion or direction toward a point, person, place, or thing approached and reaches; limit of movement or extension; a point of limit in time.

Too - in addition; also; furthermore; moreover.

Two - a cardinal number, 1 plus 1.

Be - to exist or live; to take place, happen, occur; to occupy a place or position; to continue or remain as before; to belong, attend, befall.

Bee - any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees, honeybees, etc.

Bee - a community social gather in order to perform some task, engage in a contents, etc.: a sewing bee; a spelling bee; a husking bee.

Or - used to connect words, phrases, or clauses representing alternatives; otherwise; or else.

Ore - a metal-bearing mineral or rock, or a native metal, that can be mined at a profit.

Oar - a long shaft with a broad blade at one end, used as a lever for rowing or otherwise propelling or steering a boat.

Not - used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition.

Naught - nothing; zero.

Knot - an interlacing, twining, looping, etc., of a cord, rope, or the like, drawn tight into a knob or lump, for fastening, binding, or connecting two cords together or a cord to something else.

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.