impinge v. infringe

Impinge and infringe both mean ‘to intrude on someone’s rights or property’ or ‘to encroach’. Infringe (but not impinge) carries the related meaning ‘to violate an agreement or law’. Impinge (but not infringe) also means ‘to make an impact’ either literally, in the sense of ‘strike’ or ‘collide’, or figuratively, in the sense of ‘having an effect’. So, you can either impinge or infringe on someone’s privacy, but of the two, you can only infringe a patent, and if an idea has an effect on you, it impinges upon your mind.

snow cone v. Italian ice v. sorbet v. sherbet v. sherbert

Assorted fruit sorbets. Image courtesy of Guzzle & Nosh. A snow cone is a dessert made of granular shaved ice topped with flavored syrup.

Italian ice is smoother than a snow cone, because its ingredients are mixed while freezing. It consists of fruit juice or other flavors, water, and sugar.

Although sorbet is made with basically the same ingredients as Italian ice, it is smoother still. Alcohol may be added to sorbet, which prevents it from freezing completely, and augments its smooth texture. Sorbet is usually considered to be of a higher-quality, and more expensive than Italian ice.

Sherbet is essentially sorbet to which milk, egg white, or gelatin have been added. Sherbet contains between 1% and 2% milkfat. (By comparison, ice cream has at least 10% milkfat.) ‘Sherbert’ is just an alternative spelling and pronunciation of ‘sherbet’.

In British English, sherbet is a fruit flavored fizzy powdered candy, eaten like Fun Dip, but effervescent like Pop Rocks.

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sour v. bitter

Sour foods are acidic, and include certain fruits (e.g., lemons, oranges, and grapes), and some fermented foods, like wine and yogurt.

Various chemicals are perceived as tasting bitter. Bitter foods include some vegetables, (e.g., endives, spinach, and cabbage), and also cocoa, coffee, tea, beer, and tonic water. Bitter compounds are often toxic, so people are especially sensitive to bitter flavors.

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coal v. charcoal

Coal is a dark brown to black rock formed when plant matter is buried and exposed to pressure over geologic time spans. Coal, which consists primarily of carbon, is a fossil fuel that is burned to generate electricity.

Like coal, charcoal is a solid black fuel made mostly of carbon. Charcoal is made by heating wood or other organic substances in the absence of air. Charcoal is also used in drawing, and to absorb odors, gases, and toxins. While coal is usually mined, charcoal is manufactured.

ancestor v. descendant

An ancestor is a relative who lived in the past, especially one more remote than a grandparent. Ancestor is synonymous with forebear or progenitor. A descendant is the progeny, however remote, of a specific ancestor. Descendant is synonymous with offspring or scion. A great-grandparent is an ancestor; a great-grandchild is a descendant.

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