Say again

So, let's look back at the speech flaw I mention at the beginning of this commentary, the event which happened in "one foul swoop". What the speaker really should have said was it happened in "one fell swoop".

"Fell" is an old word that's now fallen out of use (very past tense?) other than in this phrase, and is the common root of the term 'felon'. The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'fell' as meaning 'fierce, savage; cruel, ruthless; dreadful, terrible', which is pretty unambiguous.

A regular offender coming to the fore when some event is being described as backfiring on the doer, is "hoist by his own petard".

Again, we're using a pair of ancient words, and ascribing a new meaning to them.

"Hoist" is the past participle of the old verb, 'hoise', which means to explode, and 'petard' is an equally old term for bomb or firework, thus 'hoist by his own petard 'doesn't mean strung up by some form of rope, but means 'blown up by his own bomb"'.

Errors often happen in print when, although the word sounds correct, (a homophone) it has been written or spelt wrongly.

Prostrate cancer. It'san easy misspelling to make--just add an extra r and "prostate cancer" becomes "prostrate cancer," which suggests "a cancer of lying face-down on the ground."

Sneak peak. A "peak" is a mountain top. A "peek" is a quick look.

Slightof hand. "Sleight of hand" is a common phrase in the world of magic and illusion, because "sleight" means dexterity or cunning, usually to deceive. On the other hand, as a noun, a "slight" is an insult.

Wet your appetite. This expression is more often used incorrectly than correctly--56 percent of the time it appears online, it's wrong. The correct idiom is "whet your appetite." "Whet" means to sharpen or stimulate, so to "whet your appetite" means to awaken your desire for something.

Do diligence. While it may be easy to surmise that "do diligence" translates to doing something diligently, it does not. "Due diligence" is a business and legal term that means you will investigate a person or business before signing a contract with them, or before formally engaging in a business deal together. You should do your due diligence and investigate business deals fully before committing to them.

There! I've exampled just a few terms in one foul swoop. I did my do diligence when presenting them, but if they didn't wet your interest, then I won't hang about any longer whilst being hoist on my own petard.