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Happy Thanksgiving!
It's a short work-week in the U.S. We have a short list this week.
1. poult: (a) a young rabbit; (b) a turkey's wattles; (c) a young fowl; especially, a young turkey; (d) a pole for transporting hunted game.
2. cassoulet: (a) a casserole of white beans baked with herbs and meat (as pork, lamb, and goose or duck); (b) a craft propelled by sails or oars; (c) a small sailing ship; (d) a beaver hat.
3. skein: (a) a collection of caught fish; (b) a flock of wildfowl (as geese or ducks) in flight; (c) a deerskin coat; (d) a shelter.
4. lamb's lettuce: (a) corn salad; (b) spinach; (c) turnip greens; (d) dandelion greens.
5. cervine: (a) a bowl made of blue clay; (b) a hunting knife; (c) of, relating to, or resembling lobster; (d) of, relating to, or resembling deer.
If errors in ads, proposals, and the like are starving your sales efforts and making you wonder where your next meal will come from, ProofreadNOW has the surprise solution to restore your quality and bring bounty to your readers. And like the Pilgrims' friend Squanto, we speak your language! We examine the spelling, punctuation, and clarity of your Thanksgiving proclamation, ad, proposal, Web page, brochure, or anything else in print. There we are, just beyond your clearing, waiting for you to call upon us for help.
Answers: 1:c 2:a 3:b 4:a 5:d Rate Yourself: You get the normal ration: five kernels of corn for dinner.
2 correct: One small fish for you.
3 correct: A bowl of warm chowder for you.
4 correct: Berries, beans, and a turkey leg for you.
All 5 correct: Feast authentically on duck, venison, lobster, squash, cornbread, and beans!
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| Weekly Grammar Tip |
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Which Words Are Correct? (expanded)
Today's list got out with two late inserts in the test section, but without the corresponding answers. [The editors were working on paying jobs, we assume.] We do not want any arguments at the dinner table, so here is the complete list. Sorry for the confusion!
- The turkey got his just desserts/deserts for eating up our supply of seeds!
- Don't like creamed peas with your mashed potatoes? Grin and bare/bear it just the same.
- All awaited the arrival of Grandmother and Grandfather with baited/bated breath.
- His eloquent toast to the Pilgrims struck a responsive chord/cord in his guests' minds.
- Standish disembarked with a full complement/compliment of settlers.
- Praying/Preying mantises are good for your garden, because they eat lots of aphids.
- Their leader wasn't fazed/phased by the uprising of ill will.
- Extreme weather tested the Pilgrims' medal/meddle/metal/mettle.
- The settlers paid rapt/rapped/wrapped attention to Squanto's directions for growing corn.
- After all, a friend in need is a friend in deed/indeed.
- The smoke in the distance peaked/peeked/piqued their interest.
- The Mayflower got underway/under way in 1620.
- Use a clean compress to stanch/staunch the flow of blood.
- Their faith was a matter of principal/principle.
- Once given free reign/rein over their own destinies, their economy flourished.
- You better toe/tow the line or you're back on the boat to England!
- The soup kitchen just off Capitol/Capital Hill has a great Thanksgiving feast for homeless people.
- Squanto had been taken to Europe, but was now back in his old stamping/stomping grounds.
- Stop! Or I'll sic/sick my attack turkey on you!
- William Bradford and his shipmates pored/poured over the Mayflower Compact for days before signing it.
- He flaunted/flouted every rule in the book and every piece of good advice.
- The ship floundered/foundered in the storm, and the entire crew was lost.
- Chief Massasoit spoke pidgin/pigeon English at best, and relied on Squanto to translate for him.
- Global warming will (or won't) wreck/wreak havoc on the American economy.
Answers:
- deserts; only one s in the middle...you get what you deserve, and rarely does that include cake and ice cream
- bear; carry the load
- bated
- chord; but vocal cord, electrical cord, spinal cord
- complement; because it's complete
- praying; because of how their front legs fold
- fazed
- mettle; quality of temperament or disposition
- rapt; wholly absorbed (from rapere to seize)
- indeed
- piqued
- under way; use the one word underway only as an adjective before a noun
- stanch; to check or stop the flowing of
- principle; the principal is your pal
- rein; let go of the reins and let the horse wander
- toe; "put your toes up to the line"
- capitol; mnemonic: the o in dome; but: Reno is the capital of Nevada.
- stomping; or stamping, take your pick; stamping is the more classic use
- sic; alteration of seek
- pored; to gaze intently
- flouted; actually, from playing the flute; M-W says confusion with flaunt is not necessarily substandard, though
- foundered; founder means to sink; flounder means to thrash about wildly
- pidgin; derives from business in Chinese
- wreak; funny thing, though...wreak's alternate pronunciation is identical to that of wreck
Source: Merriam-Webster 11th Collegiate Dictionary.
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Copyright 2008 by ProofreadNOW.com, Inc., 447 Boston Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA. Published weekly (we try) by the editors at ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. and sent to customers of record and to opt-in guests. Many readers find it is best to read a portion, put it aside, then come back and read more.
Please rate this GrammarTip (10=high, 0=low):
10 - Like having all your picks win the bowl games.
8 - Like having half the day off after New Year's Day.
6 - Like finding a parking space at the mall.
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We're thankful and grateful for your readership and your business. On this Thanksgiving holiday, may you enjoy the blessings of love, warmth, shelter, and providence. And if you are in a country where you are not officially celebrating Thanksgiving this week, why not do so unofficially? Surely you have much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at ProofreadNOW.com. 
