Reader’s Digest
126 april 2019
matthew^cohenLet’s Consult Spell-Cheque
Why do Brits and Yanks write some words differently?
Because for his uniquely American dictionary, 19th-
century lexicographer Noah Webster tweaked some
terms to match our pronunciation—colour lost its u,
centre became center, and defence switched to defense.
Not all of his proposed alterations made their way
into our books: He wanted to change tongue to tung.
- fiddly (b) needing close
attention. I hate sewing on
buttons—it’s such fiddly
work. - knackered (b)
exhausted. Knackered
after a long week, Giles
ordered pizza and
watched reruns instead
of going to the gym. - brolly (a) umbrella.
Bring your brolly and
wear your boots—it’s
going to pour today! - pitch (b) playing field.
The Reds dominated
the game from the
moment they stepped
onto the pitch. - ta (c) thanks.
“Ta, Dad!” Imogen yelled
as she grabbed her lunch
and ran out the door.
Vocabulary Ratings
9 & below:duchess
10–12: princess
13–15: queen- posh (b) fancy.
My wife wants to go
camping for our anniver-
sary, but I’d prefer a
weekend in a posh hotel. - cack-handed (b)
clumsy. “Why am I
always so cack-handed?”
Susan grumbled, picking
up shards of glass from
the floor. - aubergine (c) eggplant.
The chef chopped squash,
aubergine, and garlic for
the stir-fry. - argy-bargy (b)
argument. “I don’t agree
with you, but let’s not get
into an argy-bargy about
it,” Rupert snapped. - chuffed (c) delighted.
Arthur was chuffed when
his painting won first
place at the art show. - dog’s breakfast
(a) confusing mess.
Dr. Cornwell’s filing sys-
tem is a complete dog’s
breakfast—I don’t know
how she finds anything.- clanger (c) blunder.
After a series of on-air
clangers, the newscaster
was fired. - nick (c) steal. “I can’t
believe someone would
nick my laptop!” Felicity
cried. - chin-wag (b)
friendly chat. George
and Nigel meet at the
pub for a chin-wag every
Wednesday. - poppet (a) little one.
“Give your granny a kiss,
poppet.”
Word Power
ANSWERS