# 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:** 47
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/924 "2024-05-13T23:20:36Z")
See also [post #260.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/260) viscose: more or less synonymous with rayon, a semi-synthetic cellulosic fiber spun from, e.g., dissolved wood pulp. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/925 "2024-05-14T11:51:24Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > **viscous** : thick/sticky, neither quite liquid or solid > > **vicious** : cruel, aggressive/violent, fierce Sid Viscous is a little slower than his cousin. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/926 "2024-05-14T12:56:46Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Sid Viscous is a little slower than his cousin. Ha! Must have played with Vanilla Fudge, whose music was notably sludgy and slow-paced. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/927 "2024-05-14T12:58:41Z")
And rather sugary. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/928 "2024-05-14T13:00:01Z")
How can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2024, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/929 "2024-05-15T04:34:09Z")
**dog’s bollocks** : good **dog’s breakfast** : bad **shit** : bad **the shit** : good ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2024, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/930 "2024-05-15T04:38:40Z")
**A bomb** : bad **The bomb** : good ---
**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:** [May 15, 2024, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/931 "2024-05-15T06:42:19Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **dog’s breakfast** : bad **dog’s dinner** : smart, dressed up, fancy (I wonder if “dog’s breakfast” is in the same area as Proverbs 26:11 _As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly_ - or the previous night’s dinner…) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/932 "2024-05-17T05:36:17Z")
**empyreal** : made of pure fire; pertaining to the highest heaven **imperial** : related to an empire ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/933 "2024-05-18T14:21:16Z")
**infarction** : tissue death due to inadequate blood supply **infraction** : a violation, minor offence **vail** : profit, emolument, gratuity **veil** : material that covers the face or an object **vale** : a valley ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/934 "2024-05-23T12:57:00Z")
**liqueur** : an alcoholic drink composed of spirits and additional flavourings **liquor** : spirits; an alcoholic drink produced by distillation ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/935 "2024-05-26T07:51:36Z")
(never mind) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/936 "2024-05-26T11:21:55Z")
I remember kids at school swallowing their food whole because they were told masticating was a sin. ---
**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:** [May 26, 2024, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/937 "2024-05-26T11:54:26Z")
Heh. In college circa 1990, a student group had a table on the street promoting “condom awareness day” — they gave out free rubbers. Next to it, other students had set up a “condiment awareness day” table, with free packets of ketchup and mustard. (This was the University of Chicago, so condoms were pretty useless anyway. 🙂 BTW, it was ground zero for the original Straight Dope “Weekly Reader” column.) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2024, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/938 "2024-05-26T12:01:41Z")
Don’t know why, but that reminded me of the best thing I ever saw on tv, and I think of it often. A newscaster was covering a herpes outbreak and, trying to be delicate, actually said: “Inadvertent oral genital contact”. Hijack over. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/939 "2024-05-27T01:17:24Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > (This was the University of Chicago, so condoms were pretty useless anyway. 🙂 Color me baffled as to what this bit might signify. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/940 "2024-05-27T01:33:23Z")
I am guessing the students didn’t get busy much. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2024, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/941 "2024-05-27T11:15:38Z")
The Master Speaks: [https://www.straightdope.com/21341193/what-are-silverfish-and-why-are-they-eating-my-books](https://www.straightdope.com/21341193/what-are-silverfish-and-why-are-they-eating-my-books) (The U of C is known for its nerdy, socially awkward student body.) ---
**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:** [May 28, 2024, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/942 "2024-05-28T08:29:36Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > A newscaster was covering a herpes outbreak and, trying to be delicate, actually said: “Inadvertent oral genital contact” What concept were they trying to convey? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/943 "2024-05-28T09:10:07Z")
They were afraid oral sex wasn’t a tasteful topic of conversation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=48)