It’s a tide of words tied tightly together to create a story, and sometimes, okay, most times, writers allow a spellcheck to do all the work.
Easy enough for a spellcheck program to accept tide or tied, since it only checks the actual spelling and not the context in which the word is used, but it’s as hard for writers and proofreaders since it’s a case of two measly letters switched around. And sometimes…those tired eyes get all tied up against the tide of time.
…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
|Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: tide and tied; YourDictionary.com: tide|
|Part of Grammar:|
|Combined Form; Noun 1;
Verb 1, intransitive 2 & transitive
|Past tense or past participle for tie
Verb, intransitive & transitive
The inflow, outflow, or current of water at any given place resulting from the waves of tides
A stream or current
Anything that alternately rises and falls, increases and decreases, etc.
Current, tendency, or drift, as of events or ideas
Any extreme or critical period or condition
To flow as the tide
To float or drift with the tide
[Archaic] To happen or befall 2
Fastened or attached with string or similar cord
[Of a game or contest] With both or more competitors or teams achieving the same score
To make or be the same score
To draw together the parts of with a knotted string or the like
To fasten by tightening and knotting the string or strings of
To draw or fasten together into a knot, as a cord
To form by looping and interlacing, as a knot or bow
To fasten, join, or connect in any way
[Angling] To design and make an artificial fly
Shrovetide is approaching, and we’ll be needing to go to Confession.
He rose on the springtide of prosperity.
“As there is now in the earth, so there is always in human souls a springtide ready to burst forth into beautiful living.” – Florence Hobart Perin
There’s a strong riptide out there.
We’d better hurry, the tide is coming in.
The rising tide covered the wharf.
The trickle of tourists has become a flood tide.
The doctor’s no good this tide.
He drifted into sleep on a tide of euphoria.
We must reverse the growing tide of racism sweeping the country.
The tide of her illness is at its height.
They finally tided off the reef.
He’ll be tiding up the Hudson by now.
My parents lent us some money to tide us over for a while.
He had a snack to tide himself over until dinner.
It was a neatly tied package.
It was the first tied match in the league.
As a tied vote, it would have to go back into committee.
It’s unfair for agricultural workers to be living in tied accommodation.
Tied houses now have guest beers.
The donation is tied to aiding runaways under thirteen years of age.
The teams tied for first place in the league.
I am absolutely fit to be tied, John Jameson.
Ma, Ma, Randy tied a tin can on Petey’s tail.
They sure tied this bundle tight.
Has she tied her shoes yet?
She tied the strips of sheet together to make her escape.
Aye, yup, Miller tied all his own flies.
Ol’ Hanson tied the knot last week.
We really tied one on last night.
|Adjective: tidal, tideful, tideless, tidelike
Noun: tideland, tidelessness, tideline, tidemark, tidewaiter, tidewater, tideway
Noun: tie, tie-down, undertie
Verb: retied, undertied
|tide someone over||tied down
tied something in
tied someone up
tied something up
|History of the Word:|
|1 Old English tīd meaning time, period, era is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch tijd and the German Zeit, also to time.
The sense relating to the sea dates from late Middle English.
|Old English tīgan is of Germanic origin.|
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!