Lili Saintcrow5d ago
To “hone” something is to sharpen its edge. To “home in” is to find and follow the signal that helps a plane return to base.
Show threadLili Saintcrow5d ago

Also, to “bail out” is to remove water from inside a boat so it may continue to float. To “bale out” is to jump from a plane. A “bailout” is when a company is kept afloat by an infusion of cash.

English is fun.

Show threaddushinto5d ago

@lilithsaintcrow not sure about the plane one, I think that might be a British English vs. American English thing. We'd say 'bailed out of the plane'.

Like, just to add extra fun, there are two major versions of 'English'

Show threadLili Saintcrow
@rickpelletier The original term was “bale out” because one was thrown like a hay bale from the back of a farm truck. This was necessitated by the bulk of the parachute gear worn.
Apr 2 at 4:53pmWeb