# 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:** 43
**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:** [March 2, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/844 "2024-03-02T17:59:46Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > We watch a lot of British crime dramas. In many of these the bad guys wear baklavas. I’ve never come across that. Example? ---
**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:** [March 2, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/845 "2024-03-02T18:03:06Z")
Maybe it’s a sports related thing like Green Bay fan cheeseheads. ---
**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:** [March 3, 2024, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/846 "2024-03-03T08:06:16Z")
**Brooch** : A piece of jewellery pinned to one’s clothing **Broach** : To pierce a container to draw out liquid contents; to raise a difficult subject in conversation; (of a vessel) to lose rudder control as a result of wind or wave conditions ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/847 "2024-03-03T14:13:05Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > > [@ftg](#): > > > > We watch a lot of British crime dramas. In many of these the bad guys wear baklavas. > > I’ve never come across that. Example? If you are serious, and not joking about baklava instead of balaclava, then it’s quite common. Here’s one example. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/doLGpbDrMts/maxresdefault.jpg "Terrifying bungled Brink's-Mat burglary | The Gold - BBC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doLGpbDrMts) From series [The Gold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gold_(TV_series)), and dramatized from actual events. ---
**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:** [March 3, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/848 "2024-03-03T16:46:12Z")
I live and learn ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/849 "2024-03-03T23:55:02Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > **Brooch** : A piece of jewellery pinned to one’s clothing > > **Broach** : To pierce a container to draw out liquid contents; to raise a difficult subject in conversation; (of a vessel) to lose rudder control as a result of wind or wave conditions   The confusing thing is, at least in the US, they’re pronounced the same with a long O. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/850 "2024-03-04T00:07:35Z")
**roll** : to cause to revolve by turning over and over; something which is rolled up **role** : a part played by an actor ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/851 "2024-03-04T00:08:48Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > **Brooch** : A piece of jewellery pinned to one’s clothing > > **Broach** : To pierce a container to draw out liquid contents; to raise a difficult subject in conversation; (of a vessel) to lose rudder control as a result of wind or wave conditions **breach** : to break through ---
**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:** [March 8, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/852 "2024-03-08T15:11:26Z")
Here’s one I fell prey to myself recently. **waver** : (v.) to sway or vacillate; (n.) someone or something that waves **waiver** : (n.) the act of renouncing a right, claim, or privilege; or a legal document certifying such a renunciation **wavier** : (adj.) more wavy ---
**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:** [March 8, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/853 "2024-03-08T15:31:01Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > **Brooch** : A piece of jewellery pinned to one’s clothing > > **Broach** : To pierce a container to draw out liquid contents; to raise a difficult subject in conversation; (of a vessel) to lose rudder control as a result of wind or wave conditions A broach is also a tool used for broaching, i.e. removing material to produce features like keyways and splines on shafts and in bores. > **[Broaching (metalworking)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broaching_(metalworking))** > > Broaching is a machining process that uses a toothed tool, called a broach, to remove material. There are two main types of broaching: linear and rotary. In linear broaching, which is the more common process, the broach is run linearly against a surface of the workpiece to produce the cut. Linear broaches are used in a broaching machine, which is also sometimes shortened to broach. In rotary broaching, the broach is rotated and pressed into the workpiece to cut an axisymmetric shape. A rotary br... ---
**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:** [March 8, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/854 "2024-03-08T15:32:29Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **breach** : to break through Breech: the rear opening of the chamber on a gun where ammo gets inserted. > **[Chamber (firearms)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_(firearms))** > > The chamber of a firearm is the cavity at the back end of a breechloading weapon's barrel or cylinder, where the ammunition is inserted before being fired. The rear opening of the chamber is the breech, and is sealed by the breechblock or the bolt. > The act of chambering a cartridge means the insertion of a round into the chamber, either manually or through the action of the weapon, e.g., pump-action, lever-action, bolt action, or autoloading operation generally in anticipation of firing the wea... ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/855 "2024-03-08T16:12:55Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Breech: the rear opening of the chamber on a gun where ammo gets inserted. > > [Chamber (firearms) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_(firearms)) From the more general sense of “breech” as “lower or hinder part of something”, derived from “breeches” as a bifurcated garment for the lower body; compare, e.g., “breech position” of a fetus during labor. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/856 "2024-03-08T16:16:50Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > From the more general sense of “breech” as “lower or hinder part of something”, derived from “breeches” as a bifurcated garment for the lower body; compare, e.g., “breech position” of a fetus during labor. Giving us: **Breeches** : A pair of pants (originally short pants) **Britches** : How to say breeches in Southern. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/857 "2024-03-08T18:52:21Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > **Britches** : How to say breeches in Southern. And in the UK ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/858 "2024-03-09T13:09:28Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **story** (also **storey** ): floor of a building > **story** (not also **storey** ): a narrative I find it interesting that the first meaning derives from the second. Medieval Latin “historia” just meant “narrative,” but because building sometimes included painted, stained-glass, or frieze narratives on their facades, the word started to be applied to the facades themselves – and thence to the building’s levels. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/859 "2024-03-09T13:11:04Z")
Did not know that. Interesting! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/860 "2024-03-09T13:14:25Z")
**martial** : relating to war **marshal** : a high-ranking military officer ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/861 "2024-03-09T13:15:11Z")
The Online Etymological Dictionary is great – and in large part a single person’s work, as I understand it. > **[story | Etymology of story by etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/story)** > > "connected account or narration, oral or written," c. 1200, originally "narrative of… See origin and meaning of story. Wiktionary (the Wikipedia Dictionary) is equally good nowadays – indeed, better, for tracing links among non-English languages – but I still go to the Online Et. first; it’s more user-friendly. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/862 "2024-03-09T14:02:18Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **martial** : relating to war > **marshal** : a high-ranking military officer Both I believe derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. Not to be confused with “marital”, even though that also sometimes includes combat. 😛 ETA: now I’m envisioning a god who is the combined god of war, marriage, and by extension diplomacy. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/863 "2024-03-09T19:11:13Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Both I believe derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. martial “obviously” is, but, according to @JKellyMap 's link, _marshal_ is not Latin at all. It means “horse-servant” in Germanic. Two words that are easily confused, especially with the military officer angle! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=42) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=44)