Homing In and Plain Honing

Homing In and Plain Honing Homing In and Plain Honing Homing In and Plain Honing By Maeve Maddox Kristi Landis writes: When one wants to get more detail on something is it called â€Å"homes in† or â€Å"hones in†? Until I researched this question, I knew of only two uses of hone as a verb: the literal meaning of â€Å"to sharpen,† as on a whetstone (also known as a â€Å"hone†), and the figurative meaning â€Å"to improve,† as in â€Å"to hone one’s skills.† Hone Your Skills: Become A Better Data Center Manager Honing Skills: This section is devoted to articles on honing and improving your writing skills, by editing, critiquing or discussion. Tomko looks to hone his skills during â€Å"lull† in WWE career Surgeons Hone Skills on Nintendo Wii The OED also gives these dialect meanings for hone as a verb: to delay, tarry, hesitate; to whine or pine for; to hanker after. I’ve heard and read the expression â€Å"to hone in† used with the sense of focus on or get closer to, but always assumed that it was a mistake for â€Å"to home in.† Ive always assumed that the expression to home in originated with â€Å"homing pigeons that return to the place they were hatched. However, in the OED examples of early use, â€Å"home† is used without the â€Å"in†: 1875 Live Stock Jrnl. 23 Apr. 57/3 Pigeons home by sight and instinct. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 12 Apr. 9/1 The first [pigeon] homed at nine oclock. The homing habits of pigeons may have caused aircraft technology to adopt the verb: 1920 Wireless World Mar. 728/2 The pilot can detect instantly from the signals, especially if ‘homing’ towards a beacon. 1956 Amer. Speech XXXI. 228 A good officer could even ‘home in on a bottle of whisky’ placed on the landing field. This use of â€Å"home in on’ is used figuratively to describe other ways in which one comes closer to an object or subject of importance: 1971 New Scientist 16 Sept. 629/1 Mexicos Professor S. F. Beltran homed in on education as a critical need. Substituting â€Å"hone† for â€Å"home† in the expression may have begun as an eggcorn, but it has become common enough for the OED to give it its own entry: intr. to hone in. To head directly for something; to turn ones attention intently towards something. Usu. with â€Å"on†. Cf. HOME Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?Driver License vs. Driver’s LicenseAffect vs. Effect

Funny Engineering Jokes for Engineers

Funny Engineering Jokes for Engineers Its possible you might have to be an engineer to truly appreciate engineering jokes and humor, but if you get the jokes, they are certainly funny! Lazy Engineers Engineering is all about laziness in the name of a better life. Ill-Advised A fire engineer, who could not speak Arabic, was finding it difficult to market his newly invented fire extinguisher in the Arabian continent. He consulted an expert who advised him to use photographic symbols. Now he proceeded with a three-stage demonstration photographs, namely (1) a car on fire, (2) a man fighting the fire with the device, then (3) a clean car. Meanwhile, the Arabs read from right to the left, so they avoided the device completely. Advances and Details A young damsel was asked why she would not marry either of her engineer or lawyer boyfriends. She replied the engineers make advances and add no detail, the lawyers argue details and make no advance. Engineering Joke An engineer is someone who uses a slide rule to multiply two by two; gets an answer of 3.99 and calls it 4 to the nearest significant figure. Light Bulbs How many software engineers does it take to change a lightbulb? None. They wouldnt do it. Its a hardware problem. Chemical Engineer Vs. Chemist Whats the difference between a chemical engineer and a chemist? Answer: about $50k a year Chemical Engineer and Chemist Whats the difference between a chemical engineer and a chemist? A chemical engineer does for profit what a chemist does for fun. Wife or Mistress? An architect, artist, and engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with their wives or mistresses. The architect said, I like spending time with my wife building a firm foundation of a marriage. The artist said, I enjoy the time I spend with my mistress because of all the passion and energy. The engineer said I enjoy both. If you have a wife and a mistress, both women think you are with the other so you can go to work get more done MechE and CivE The Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers post below can add Chemical Engineers as engineers that build targets that explode really well. The Physicist A physicist was sitting in his room alone and realized that he felt depressed. So he went to a psychologist to see if the psychologist could help him feel better again. After a little bit of introduction and talking about the physicists life, the psychologist looks at his notes and tells the physicist, Well, I think I know what brings you down the most.† Well, what is it? asked the physicist.† Gravity. Definition of an Engineer What is the definition of an engineer? Answer: Someone who solves a problem you didnt know you had, in a way you dont understand. It Takes One to Know One Engineer and Mathematician (males) were given the opportunity to compete for a very attractive woman. But there was one condition: You can only run half the remaining distance between you and the lady. Eng. sprinted forward while Math. didnt. Why arent you running? Asked members of the Committee. Because, by definition, I will never be allowed to reach my target. And you Eng. why are you running? Dont you know the same? Yes, said Eng. my learned friend is correct. But I will get close enough for all practical purposes.