Knewance

impinge v. infringe

Knewance — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:11:20 +0000

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

Knewance — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:49:37 +0000

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.

Livestrong.com on sorbet v. Italian ice

YumSugar on sorbet v. sherbet v. sherbert

sour v. bitter

Knewance — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:05:58 +0000

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.

eHow on sour v. bitter

coal v. charcoal

Knewance — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:18:45 +0000

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

Knewance — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:20:35 +0000

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.

e Learn English Language on ancestor v. descendant

biannual v. semiannual v. biennial

Knewance — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:53:30 +0000

Biannual is synonymous with semiannual. They both mean ‘happening twice a year’, e.g., in February and August. Biennial events, like the Olympics, happen every two years. Biennial plants have a life cycle that requires two years to complete.

LifeTips.com on biannual v. semiannual v. biennial

podium v. lectern

Knewance — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:55:43 +0000

A podium is a small raised platform used to elevate a speaker, an orchestra conductor, or the winners in a sporting event. A lectern is a stand with a sloped top, used by a lecturer or a member of the clergy to hold books, notes, or other materials used during a presentation. One stands on top of a podium, and behind a lectern.

stage left v. stage right

Knewance — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:01:00 +0000

In theater blocking, directions are usually provided from the point of view of an actor facing the audience. Stage left is the direction to the actor’s left, and stage right is the direction to the actor’s right. From the audience’s perspective, stage left is house right, and stage right is house left.

Acting Workshop On-Line Stage Positions

narcolepsy v. cataplexy

Knewance — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:59:13 +0000

Narcolepsy is a disorder characterized by sudden, brief, uncontrollable episodes of REM sleep at inappropriate times. Cataplexy is an abrupt loss of muscle tone, usually triggered by strong emotions. This transient weakness or paralysis occurs while the patient is conscious, and can manifest as anything from slurred speech to complete collapse. Cataplexy is frequently associated with narcolepsy. Other symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.

WebMD on narcolepsy

Eskimo v. Inuit v. Yupik

Knewance — Sun, 22 May 2011 21:55:30 +0000

A double image. Do you see the Indian face looking left, or the Eskimo looking away to the right? Eskimo is the collective term for several cultural groups indigenous to the Arctic coastal regions of Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Some claim that the word Eskimo is pejoritive, based on a disputed etymology. There are two primary groups of Eskimos: the Inuit of northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, and the culturally and ethnically distinct Yupik of western and southern Alaska and northeastern Siberia.