Lili SaintcrowApr 2
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 SaintcrowApr 2

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 threadAlexxKay
@lilithsaintcrow
Huh. I had never previously seen "bale out", but often "bail out". And there does seem to be some disagreement on this one: https://www.dailywritingtips.com/bail-out-vs-bale-out/
Bail Out vs. Bale Out - DAILY WRITING TIPS

Reading A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton, (St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York, 2003), I was distracted by the author’s frequent references to the necessity

Daily Writing Tips
Apr 4 at 9:23amWeb
Show threadAlexxKayApr 4
@lilithsaintcrow
I tend to be more descriptivist than prescriptivist, but it can be frustrating. English seems to be largely replacing the subjunctive "might" with "may". And the terms "latter" and "former" no longer have reliable meanings, so I've had to abandon them from my own speech and writing.