by Curt Kovener
Mrs. Lewis was my high school English teacher who taught many lessons of which I still use today. However, in high school I did not learn about contronyms—words that are their own antonym. As we all know, the English language is confusing and contronyms add to the confusion…and the humor.
Take the word ‘seed’. If you seed the lawn you add seeds, but if you seed a tomato you remove them.
Stone is another verb to use with caution. You can stone some peaches to remove their pits, but please don’t stone your neighbor even if he says he likes to get stoned.
Dust— when you dust are you applying dust or removing it? It depends whether you’re dusting the crops or the furniture.
Left can mean either remaining or departed. Following a neighborhood dinner party, the men left the room and the, thus, the ladies are left.
Trim—If you’re trimming the tree are you using lights, ornaments and tinsel or a chain saw?
Resign, meaning “to quit,” is spelled the same as resign, meaning “to sign up again,” but it’s pronounced differently.
Fast can mean “moving rapidly,” as in running fast, or “fixed, unmoving,” as in holding fast. If colors are fast they will not run.
Off means “deactivated,” as in to turn off, but also “activated,” as in the alarm went off.
Weather can mean “to withstand or come safely through” (as in the company weathered the recession) or it can mean “to be worn away” (the rock was weathered).
Go means “to proceed,” but also “give out or fail,” as in “my car could really go until it started to go.”
Help means “assist,” unless you can’t help doing something, when it means “prevent.”
Out can mean “visible” or “invisible.” For example, “It’s a good thing the full moon was out when the lights went out.”
If you toss out an idea are you suggesting it or discarding it?
Screen can mean to show or hide as in we screen a movie or build a privacy fence to screen an unsightly view.
Clip can mean “to bind together” or “to separate.” You can clip sheets of paper to together or clip a coupon out of the newspaper.
And thanks to COVID, many have found that ‘out of’ means “outside” or “inside” as in “I hardly get out of the house because I work out of my home.”
It has been over 50 years since I sat in Mrs. Lewis’ class, and English is just as confusing as ever.