Jul 04 2011
English words can sometimes be weird, given they can carry different meanings with the same spelling. These words are called homonyms, homophones or homographs, depending on where the similarity ends. Here are some for you to indulge in WittyCulus musing…
- We spend hours in a meeting, but we only record the minutes.
[Little wonder it is usually a waste of time…] - The second hand on a clock is actually its third hand.
[The main (or first) hand tells the hour; the next hand (or second) tells the minutes; and the third tells the seconds. Now, who’s telling who? ;-)] - Hoping to look a little bustier, she went to the shops to look for a little bustier for her skimpy top.
[Looking for the look does keep a woman busy; perks up (pun!) the economy too.] - When you are idle (i.e. lazy), you are in a state of laziness; but when you are active, it’s not necessarily business.
[Somehow, the noun for busy is busyness, not business. Maybe there was a conscious need to distinguish between activities that are profitable and those that just expend time?] - She looked nice from far, but when she came near, she’s actually far from nice.
[Heard this way back when I was a kid. Kinda Singlish, me thinks…]
