3 Definitions and a Lie: FOIL
Curses, foiled again!
Senator professor S. I. Hayakawa once claimed, “The meanings of words are not in the words, they are in us.” Yet, as any dictionary can definitively establish, words do indeed possess meaning. In fact, some words abound in interpretation, containing multiple and sometimes dramatically divergent definitions.
Consider the word FOIL. Three of the following definitions apply to foil when used as a noun. Which choice is not a valid meaning of the word?
A thin metal sheet
Hard work or painstaking labor
Someone or thing that contrasts with another
A thin fencing sword
Of course, foil can also be used as a verb meaning to thwart, defeat, or to prevent from attaining an end.
Have you determined which definition is not a definition of the word FOIL? Find out below…
Choice 2 describes a very similar sounding word: TOIL
toil (noun) - exhausting physical work
—toil as a verb means to work hard or struggle in a certain direction
“Humanity is a natural foil for inhumanity, and humanity is what will ultimately keep us going when all else has failed.” —Margaret Cho