Words I Was Using Wrong

Under words that don’t mean what I originally thought they meant—DECIMATE: to kill one in every ten of (a group of soldiers or others) as a punishment for the whole group.

So if a rabbit decimates my lettuce patch, 9 of 10 lettuce plants is okay. Honestly, I’m okay with that.

BRAISE: fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container.

A great way to cook pork chops BTW.

BRAISE is not the same as BRAZE: form, fix, or join by soldering with an alloy of copper and zinc at high temperature. Nor does it mean to grill over an open flame.

PRODIGAL: spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.

From context, I assumed prodigal meant someone who spurns or runs away from his home and family. Nope. Just a spendthrift.

Have you discovered words you were using wrong?

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