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.

Bread-Making Homonyms

I have a special treat for you today: a complete set of instructions for making bread using homonyms! This one's gonna be tasty!

Step 1: Plant a field with corn seed using an appropriate garden tool (for example, a hoe).

sow - to scatter (seed) over land, earth, etc., for growth; plant.
sew - to join or attach by stitches.
so - to the extent or degree indicated or suggested: Do not walk so fast.

maize - (chiefly in British and technical usage) corn.
maze - a confusing network of intercommunicating paths or passages; labyrinth.

hoe - a long-handled implement having a thing, flat blade usually set transversely, used to break up the surface of the ground, destroy weeds, etc.
ho - (used as a call to attract attention, sometimes specially used after a word denoting a destination): Westward ho! Land ho!

Step 2: Keep the plants healthy by supplying appropriate amounts of water and sunshine.

sun - (often initial capital letter) the star that is the central body of the solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat...
son - a male child or person in relation to his parents.

rays - narrow beams of light.
raise - to move to a higher position; lift up; elevate: to raise one's hand; sleepy birds raising their heads and looking about.

Step 3: Harvest the crop at the appropriate time, then grind up the corn into flower and bag it.

flour - the finely ground, powdery foodstuff.
flower - the blossom of a plant.

meal - a coarse, unsifted powder ground from the edible seeds of any grain: wheat meal; cornmeal.
meal - the food served and eaten especially at one of the customary, regular occasions for taking food during the day, as breakfast, lunch, or supper.

sack - a large bag of strong, coarsely woven material, as for grain, potatoes, or coal.
sac - a baglike structure in an animal, plant, or fungus, as one containing fluid.

Step 4: Add water to the flour and knead it to make dough.

add - to unite or join so as to increase the number, quantity, size or importance: to add two cups of sugar; to add a postscript to her letter; to add insult to injury.
ad - advertisement.

knead - to work (dough, clay, etc.) into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching.
need - a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation: There is no need for you to go there.

dough - flour or meal combined with water, milk, etc., in a mass for baking into bread, cake, etc.; paste of bread.
doe - the female of the deer, antelope, goat, rabbit, and certain other animals.

Step 5: Work the dough into the desired shape (for example rolls or loaves) then bake.

roll - bread roll
role - a part or character played by an actor or actress.

bread - a kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent, and baked.
bred - simple past tense and past participle of breed.


It's as simple as that folks. I hope you all get a chance to break bread with your friends and family this week!

break - phrase "break bread" meaning to eat a meal, especially with others. Or to smash, split, or divide into parts.
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.

Note: All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

The Tortoise and the Hare

I signed myself, husband, and four-year old daughter up for the Tortoise Trot next weekend. It's a one mile family fun run at the Blank Park Zoo. The zoo is honoring their tortoises that are turning 50 this year!

All this got me thinking about the classic story of the tortoise and the hare. Anybody who knows me would tell you that I'm not good at running. I've even been called the turtle when people see me run. Ok, let's be honest, I don't run, I jog really slowly. And my husband and daughter are both really fast - they're the hares in this story. But we all know how things turn out in the end, so I'm thinking my chances are pretty good for next weekend. Here's hoping!

And here's some animal homonyms for you!

hare - any rodentlike mammal of the genus Lepus, of the family Leporidae, having long ears, a divided upper lip, and long limbs adapted to leading.
hair - any of the numerous fine, usually cylindrical, kreatinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals.

boar - the uncastrated male swine.
bore - to form, make, or construct (a tunnel, mine, well, passage, etc.) by hollowing out, cutting through, or removing a core of material: to bore a tunnel through the Alps; to bore an oil well 3000 feet deep.


bee - any hymenopterous insect of the superfamily Apoidea, including social and solitary species of several families, as the bumblebees, honeybees, etc.
be - to exist or live.

ewe - a female sheep.
you - the pronoun of the second person singular or plural, used of the person or persons being addressed, in the nominative or objective case: You are the highest bidder. It is you who are to blame. We can't help you. This package came for you. Did she give you the book?
yew - any of several evergreen, coniferous trees and shrubs of the genera Taxus and Torreya, constituting the family Taxaceae, of the Old World, North America, and Japan, having needlelike or scalelike foilage and seeds enclosed in a fleshy aril.

doe - the female of the deer, antelope, goat, rabbit, and certain other animals.
dough - flour or meal combined with water, milk, etc., in a mass for baking into bread, cake, etc.; paste of bread.

fowl - the domestic or barnyard hen or rooster; chicken.
foul - grossly offensive to the senses; disguistingly loathsome; noisome: a foul smell.


And I have one more that you might find questionable, but I'm going to put it in here anyway...

lion - a large, usually tawny-yellow cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa and southern Asian, having a tufted tail and, in the male, a large mane.
lying - the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness.

I realize that if you pronounce every letter in the word lying, it is distinct from lion. But if you say it with a bit of an accent, then they sound the same!

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Administrator of the Year Awards

A couple of weeks ago, School Administrators of Iowa hosted an awards ceremony and reception for Iowa's Administrators of the Year. The group of awardees included a superintendent, central office staffer, secondary principal,  secondary assistant principal, middle level principal and elementary principal. The ceremony was at our capitol building and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa's Department of Education Director Jason Glass graced us with their presence.

All this got me thinking about homonyms of course! I've got three to share with you today.

principal - the head or director of a school, or especially in England, a college.

principle - an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles.

capitol - (often lowercase) a building occupied by a state legislature.

capital - the city or town that is the official seat of government in the country, state, etc.: Tokyo is the capital of Japan.

presence - the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

presents - a thing presented as a gift; gift: Christmas presents.

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.

Homograph Alert!

I've come to the realization that it's going to take a lot more effort (and luck) to think up some homographs than it is for homophones. For example, when somebody says the word bear, you might easily think of the word bare too. They sound the same, and the similarity is easier to identify. But, if somebody says, "I lead a team of experts," it's harder to connect the word "lead" to the word "lead" (a form of metal).

So, when I started reading my first James Patterson novel this week, I was delighted when I came across a homograph! And I thought I'd share it with you:

wound - (pronounced woond) an injury, usually involving division of tissue or rupture of the integument or mucous membrane, due to external violence or some mechanical agency rather than disease.
wound - a simple past tense and past participle of wind. I wound that ball of string.

Which brings me to another homograph...

wind - (pronounced wahynd) to change direction; bend; turn; take a frequently bending course; meander: The river winds through the forest. Or to coil or twine about something: The ivy winds around the house.
wind - air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface: A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.


So this week, you get a twofer of homographs!

All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.