5 ms·

Sanction is such a strange word. It can mean both "giving permission or approval" as well as "giving a penalty for noncompliance with a rule or law" I also mis

by jffry 5y ago

Sanction is such a strange word. It can mean both "giving permission or approval" as well as "giving a penalty for noncompliance with a rule or law" I also misread the headline as the latter instead of the former, likely because of the latter type of sanctions being in the news as of late.

Steltek 5y ago
You've mooted a very good point. The English language is full of contradictions and condones many deceptive spellings.
tcskeptic 5y ago
Ah! Contronyms! Words that can mean a thing... and it's opposite (or nearly so). Dust, cleave, overlook... many others. One of those enjoyable corners of the language.
- jffry 5y ago
  Weird quirks of language (English and others) usually have interesting histories too.
- mijoharas 5y ago
  For anyone else that was confused, apparently there is an alternate usage of the word 'Cleave' that means 'to adhere' (rather than 'to cut' or 'to separate').[0] I hadn't heard of that one. [0] https://www.dailywritingtips.com/75-contronyms-words-with-contradictory-meanings/ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/75-contronyms-words-with-co... [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleave#:~:text=Definition%20of%20cleave,%2C%20rituals%2C%20and%20food.%20%E2%80%94 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleave#:~:text=De...
  - singingboyo 5y ago
    I almost feel like that specific usage should come with the 'archaic' tag, but it's reasonably common in slightly older novels, I think? Things like "He still cleaves to the imagined ideals of his forefathers". It definitely tends to be used in a more philosophical sense than the very physical "cleave a block of wood in two", though.
- navbaker 5y ago
  The Amelia Bedelia series of children's books get tons of mileage from these types of words.
- hunter2_ 5y ago
  "Biweekly" is a good one (half as often as weekly, but also twice as often as weekly).
victorbond 5y ago
All totally correct. Thanks for commenting.

by jffry 5y ago

Steltek 5y ago

You've mooted a very good point. The English language is full of contradictions and condones many deceptive spellings.

tcskeptic 5y ago

Ah! Contronyms! Words that can mean a thing... and it's opposite (or nearly so). Dust, cleave, overlook... many others. One of those enjoyable corners of the language.

jffry 5y ago
Weird quirks of language (English and others) usually have interesting histories too.
mijoharas 5y ago
For anyone else that was confused, apparently there is an alternate usage of the word 'Cleave' that means 'to adhere' (rather than 'to cut' or 'to separate').[0] I hadn't heard of that one. [0] https://www.dailywritingtips.com/75-contronyms-words-with-contradictory-meanings/ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/75-contronyms-words-with-co... [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleave#:~:text=Definition%20of%20cleave,%2C%20rituals%2C%20and%20food.%20%E2%80%94 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleave#:~:text=De...
- singingboyo 5y ago
  I almost feel like that specific usage should come with the 'archaic' tag, but it's reasonably common in slightly older novels, I think? Things like "He still cleaves to the imagined ideals of his forefathers". It definitely tends to be used in a more philosophical sense than the very physical "cleave a block of wood in two", though.
navbaker 5y ago
The Amelia Bedelia series of children's books get tons of mileage from these types of words.
hunter2_ 5y ago
"Biweekly" is a good one (half as often as weekly, but also twice as often as weekly).

victorbond 5y ago

All totally correct. Thanks for commenting.