ADDENDA TO HOMOPHONES IN TRACT II

Several correspondents complain of the incompleteness of the list of Homophones in Tract II. The object of that list was to convince readers of the magnitude of the mischief, and the consequent necessity for preserving niceties of pronunciation: evidence of its incompleteness must strengthen its plea. The following words may be added; they are set here in the order of the literary alphabet.

Add to Table I (p. 7)

band, 1 a tie, 2 a company.

bend, 1 verb, 2 heraldic sub.

bay, 1 tree, 2 arm of sea, 3 window,

4 barking of dog, and 'at bay',

5 a dam, 6 of antler, 7 a colour.

blaze, 1 of flame, 2 to sound forth.

bluff, 1 adj. & sub. = broad = fronted,

2 blinker, 3 sub. and v. confusing 1 and 2.

boom, 1 to hum, 2 = beam.

cant, 1 whine, 2 to tilt.

chaff, 1 of wheat, 2 = chafe (slang).

cove, 1 a recess, 2 = chap (slang).

file, 1 string, 2 rasp, 3 = to defile.

grave, 1 sub., 2 adj.

hind, 1 fem. of stag, 2 a peasant, 3 adj. of behind.

limb, 1 member, 2 edge, 3 limn.

limber, 1 shaft of cart (verb in artillery),

2 naut. subs., 3 adj. pliant.

loom, 1 subs., 2 v.

nice, gneiss.

ounce, 1 animal, 2 a weight.

plash, 1 = pleach, 2 a puddle.

port, 1 demeanour, & military v.,

2 haven, 3 gate & naut.= port-hole,

4 = larboard, 5 a wine.

shingle, 1 a wooden tile, 2 gravel,

3 (in pl.) a disease.

shrub, 1 a bush, 2 a drink.

smack, 1 a sounding blow, 2 a fishing boat, 3 taste.

throw, throe.

Also note that so should be added to sew, sow, and that the words leech, leach, are not sufficiently credited with etymological variety: [see below p. [33]].

To Table II add

when, wen.

To Table VIII

The following words, the absence of which has been noted, are not true homophones:—

crack

fool

fume

gentle

interest

palm

stem

trip

To Table IX add

must 1 obs? new wine, 2 verb.

To Shakespearean obsoletes p. 27 add

limn, lost in limb.