# Words one can get confused **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772 "2022-09-18T20:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/704 "2023-11-29T11:28:27Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > an **ex-patriot** Not to be confused with an [**ex-parrot**](https://youtu.be/4vuW6tQ0218) ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/705 "2023-11-29T11:37:29Z")
Unless it’s no longer pining for the fjords. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/706 "2023-11-29T14:06:40Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > An **expatriate** is not necessarily an **ex-patriot** > > One lives outside their country, _the other no longer loves it._ (italics added) Or it’s someone who leaves to play QB for Tampa Bay. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/707 "2023-11-29T15:38:14Z")
Flair: a natural talent or style Flare: a sudden burst of light or flame. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/708 "2023-12-03T09:39:41Z")
Just seen a confusion on another thread: **Steak** : a substantial cut of meat, usually beef **Stake** : (1) piece of wood, more substantial than a rod or pole, usually fixed as an upright in the ground to secure, e.g , fencing; (2) something of value wagered or invested ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/709 "2023-12-03T17:32:01Z")
One can also “stake a claim”, meaning file for ownership of e.g. mineral rights in an area just being explored. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/710 "2023-12-03T18:14:34Z")
**striding** : taking long steps **stridulating** : making sound by rubbing together parts of one’s body ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/711 "2023-12-03T19:23:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > One can also “stake a claim”, meaning file for ownership of e.g. mineral rights in an area just being explored I believe that was originally literal, as in placing marker stakes denoting the boundaries of the area one was claiming. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/712 "2023-12-03T19:46:04Z")
Some can do both at the same time. I remember Mandy Patinkin’s character on _Chicago Hope_ used to pace his office while thinking. But his pants went _swish-swish_ as he walked, so he took them off. One watcher, I won’t name names, could relate. A friend of mine, yeah, that’s it. You wouldn’t know him, he’s from Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/713 "2023-12-03T20:46:38Z")
**Beyond the pail** : on the far side of a bucket. A strange way to speak, but hey, you do you. **Beyond the pale** : On the bad side of an important boundary between propriety and impropriety. “Pale” used to refer to a wooden stake in the ground that marked a boundary between claimed territory and the uncivilized lands beyond. On a related note, this usage of “pale” is where the word “impale” comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/714 "2023-12-03T21:14:12Z")
And this gave rise to two historically important Pales: The Pale of Settlement in the western parts of the Russian empire where Jews were permitted (with lots of caveats) to live; and The English Pale, originally an area in eastern Ireland, where English colonists were extraterritorial subjects of the English monarch rather than being subject to Irish lords or laws. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/715 "2023-12-04T11:16:18Z")
Hence also **paling** for a fencepost. During one election over here, a candidate named Paling got over-excited at a meeting and called his opponent a “dirty dog” - quick as a flash, a heckler shouted “And we all know what dirty dogs do to palings!” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/716 "2023-12-04T18:10:04Z")
**proximate** : near, adjacent **proximal** : closer to the point of observation ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/717 "2023-12-04T20:01:17Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **proximal** : closer to the point of observation “Proximal” is also one of the anatomical terms of location, referring to something that is closer to the main part of an animal’s body, e.g. your shoulder is at the proximal end of your upper arm. > **[Anatomical terms of location | Proximal and distal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomical_terms_of_location#Proximal_and_distal)** > > The terms proximal (from Latin proximus 'nearest') and distal (from Latin distare 'to stand away from') are used to describe parts of a feature that are close to or distant from the main mass of the body, respectively. Thus the upper arm in humans is proximal and the hand is distal. > "Proximal and distal" are frequently used when describing appendages, such as fins, tentacles, and limbs. Although the direction indicated by "proximal" and "distal" is always respectively towards or away from the ... ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/718 "2023-12-04T23:04:02Z")
To combine those ideas, “proximal” is “closer to the point of reference”. For anatomy, that’s the center of the body. For some observations it’s the center of the thing observed, and for others its the POV of the observer. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/719 "2023-12-04T23:30:43Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **proximal** : closer to the point of observation > [@LSLGuy](#): > > To combine those ideas, “proximal” is “closer to the point of reference”. For anatomy, that’s the center of the body. For some observations it’s the center of the thing observed, and for others its the POV of the observer. I don’t agree with @DPRK’s definition (and thus not with the attempt to reconcile it). I’m pretty sure that there is no technical usage where _proximal_ means closest to the point of **observation**. I think @DPRK must either accept that _proximal_ is just a synonym for _proximate_ and can mean “nearby” in any loose sense (it has long been used this way), or if he prefers to reserve _proximal_ for a precise technical sense then the technical definition should be the correct one. I do agree with @LSLGuy that point of “reference” or point of “origin” is a reasonable generalization for the technical usages, just not that this ever really means point of observation. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/720 "2023-12-05T00:09:18Z")
Maybe I typed too quickly. “Closer to the point of reference”, as in the anatomical sense (opposite: distal, not distant), is what I had in mind. I should probably not have written “observation” and apologize for the extra confusion. In linguistics one also talks about “proximal demonstratives” where the reference/observer is the speaker (_this_ vs _that_). Cracking open the OED, if I am reading it right, the technical senses are the ones _not_ marked “obsolete” or “rare”, but, ignoring such decrees (as one should 🙂 ) the first definition is “lying very near or close to something; proximate, immediate.” We still have not got into **proximate(ly)** versus **approximate(ly)**! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/721 "2023-12-05T00:12:38Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > the first definition is “lying very near or close to something; proximate, immediate Yes, when I saw this I wondered if this derived recently from widespread acceptance of casual misuse of the technical term - but the citations of usage dating back several hundred years suggest that proximal was originally a synonym for proximate, and the technical usage came later. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/722 "2023-12-05T18:16:14Z")
**reputed** : assumed, supposed **reputable** : having a good reputation A reputed university is an institution that is assumed or believed by some to be a university but which may or may not actually be one. A reputable university is a university that has a good reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/723 "2023-12-06T05:07:16Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > **reputed** : assumed, supposed > > A reputed university is an institution that is assumed or believed by some to be a university but which may or may not actually be one. I don’t think this is correct. **Reputed** is also specifically about reputation, not value-neutral assumptions or suppositions. So I would not use it as your example does, about whether something IS a university, only about whether it’s a good or bad university. I think these are more typical examples of usage: It is reputed to be a good university. He is reputed to be the finest swordsman in Florin. She is reputed to be unreliable. In all cases, the implication is that you are reporting widely held value judgments (reputation), but not speaking from first hand knowledge. There is also the expression “highly reputed”, which is exactly synonymous with reputable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=37)