quote:

Here’s an ambiguous sentence for you: “Because of the agency’s oversight, the corporation’s behavior was sanctioned.” Does that mean, "Because the agency oversaw the company’s behavior, they imposed a penalty for some transgression," or does it mean, "Because the agency was inattentive, they overlooked the misbehavior and gave it their approval by default"? We’ve stumbled into the looking-glass world of contronyms—words that are their own antonyms.

https://getpocket.com/explore/...source=pocket-newtab

Something about #3 didn't seem quite right...

Don't show that to Mr. SK, he's already convinced English is evil!

There was a children's book based on this. Amelia Bedelia?

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
There was a children's book based on this. Amelia Bedelia?

Yes.

Most of the words that confused Amelia Bedelia were words that have more than one meaning. She got a piece of paper and a pencil to "draw the drapes". It is queer that to "dust the furniture" means to remove the dust, not to cover them in dust... different from dusting a baking pan with flour.


The article didn't include the word in English that has the largest number of distinct meanings, several of which contradict each other. Anyone know what word that is?


One thing that causes confusion in business: In British English, to "table an issue" is to discuss it; in American English, it is to stop discussing it.

Also on "resign"... you can resign from a job (quit) or resign yourself to doing something. Perhaps that is also to quit, but what you quit is resisting.