New and updated entries

homophones Link to this term

when words sound the same but have different meanings.  Voice recognition software uses 'contextual clues' to cope with common homophones but we all slip up occasionally.

Tags: 
populous Link to this term

describes a place with a large populace

Tags: 
littoral Link to this term

 relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean (Macquarie). Sometimes confused with literal.

Tags: 
bare or bear Link to this term

'...the right to bare arms' is not what this writer meant when referring to the Second Amendment to the American Constitution.

Tags: 
aid or aide Link to this term

to aid and abet, a study aid, a hearing aid; but a person (an assistant) is an aide

Tags: 
bare, bared Link to this term

they bared their souls (not bore)

Barak or Barack Link to this term

Ehud Barak is a former Israeli defence minister and Labour party leader, and Barack Obama is of course the US president.

lay, laid, laying Link to this term

lay the table (or an egg), I have laid the table, the table has been laid, I'm laying the table

commas Link to this term

On the RN website all punctuation should make sense grammatically, not just rhetorically. Marks you use to show pauses and intonation in your studio scripts won't necessarily work in online copy. For some comma rules follow the 'how to use commas' link below

chord Link to this term

musical chord, but spinal or vocal cord

Tags: 
canon Link to this term

body of work (cannon is the weapon)

Tags: 
balmy Link to this term

it was a balmy summer night, but you drive me barmy

Tags: