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Jul. 11th, 2010
(I know, weird, right?)
So, in the interest in making us all look a little more educated, I'm going to explain the distinction between four homophones, and give alternatives:
Pallet: This word means a straw-filled mattress or a small, hard, temporary bed. If you find yourself having to use this word, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "mat".
Pallet: Same spelling, different etymology, you're most likely to use this to talk about a portable platform for storing or moving packages. If you can sensibly use "crate", go for it. Otherwise, you're stuck learning to spell.
Palette: This means the board you put paints on and by extension it has come to mean the colors on the palette themselves. If you have to use this word in the second sense, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "color scheme". If you mean the first sense, you're stuck learning to spell unless you don't mind saying "that thing artists use to hold paint while they're painting".
Palate: This means the roof of your mouth and, by extension, your (intellectual) sense of taste. If you find yourself having to use this word in the first sense, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "roof of the mouth". If you have to use the word in the second sense, try sounding slightly less pretentious* and just say "taste".
You may say "But Connie! Surely it's better to use the right word than your workarounds!", and in many cases you're probably right. But if you can't spell it, you're not using the right word. And although people probably shouldn't care, they do. Rest assured they're all making fun of you behind your back. Avoid the angst, and just choose another word!
*Yeah, it pretty much is pretentious the way a lot of people use it. It doesn't have to be, but it is. And even if that's not what you're going for, the people around you either are or think you are, and they'll never forget that you can't spell.
So, in the interest in making us all look a little more educated, I'm going to explain the distinction between four homophones, and give alternatives:
Pallet: This word means a straw-filled mattress or a small, hard, temporary bed. If you find yourself having to use this word, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "mat".
Pallet: Same spelling, different etymology, you're most likely to use this to talk about a portable platform for storing or moving packages. If you can sensibly use "crate", go for it. Otherwise, you're stuck learning to spell.
Palette: This means the board you put paints on and by extension it has come to mean the colors on the palette themselves. If you have to use this word in the second sense, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "color scheme". If you mean the first sense, you're stuck learning to spell unless you don't mind saying "that thing artists use to hold paint while they're painting".
Palate: This means the roof of your mouth and, by extension, your (intellectual) sense of taste. If you find yourself having to use this word in the first sense, and you're not sure how to spell it, try "roof of the mouth". If you have to use the word in the second sense, try sounding slightly less pretentious* and just say "taste".
You may say "But Connie! Surely it's better to use the right word than your workarounds!", and in many cases you're probably right. But if you can't spell it, you're not using the right word. And although people probably shouldn't care, they do. Rest assured they're all making fun of you behind your back. Avoid the angst, and just choose another word!
*Yeah, it pretty much is pretentious the way a lot of people use it. It doesn't have to be, but it is. And even if that's not what you're going for, the people around you either are or think you are, and they'll never forget that you can't spell.
Interesting random thought here...
Jul. 11th, 2010 08:04 pmIs their porn of Rule 34? (And why does that rule only seem to apply when we don't want it? When I'm actively trying to find something... nada.)