Grammar annoyance of the week

People who use "diffuse" for "defuse". It's just barely possible that you meant "diffusing tensions" as a legitimate metaphor. "Diffuse the bomb", however, is almost certainly not what you meant to say. Rather the opposite, really; a failure to defuse a bomb will result in the rapid diffusion of the bomb's component bits.


(www.merriam-webster.com/)
diffuse
3 entries found.

Main Entry: 2 dif·fuse
Pronunciation: \di-ˈfyüz\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): dif·fused; dif·fus·ing
Etymology: Middle English diffused, past participle, from Latin diffusus, past participle
Date: 14th century

transitive verb
1 a: to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely b: extend, scatter c: to spread thinly or wastefully
2: to subject to diffusion; especially : to break up and distribute (incident light) by reflection

intransitive verb
1: to spread out or become transmitted especially by contact
2: to undergo diffusion


defuse

Main Entry: de·fuse
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)dē-ˈfyüz\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1943

1 : to remove the fuse from (as a mine or bomb)
2 : to make less harmful, potent, or tense <defuse the crisis>

Grammar annoyance of the week

People who use "diffuse" for "defuse". It's just barely possible that you meant "diffusing tensions" as a legitimate metaphor. "Diffuse the bomb", however, is almost certainly not what you meant to say. Rather the opposite, really; a failure to defuse a bomb will result in the rapid diffusion of the bomb's component bits.


(www.merriam-webster.com/)
diffuse
3 entries found.

Main Entry: 2 dif·fuse
Pronunciation: \di-ˈfyüz\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): dif·fused; dif·fus·ing
Etymology: Middle English diffused, past participle, from Latin diffusus, past participle
Date: 14th century

transitive verb
1 a: to pour out and permit or cause to spread freely b: extend, scatter c: to spread thinly or wastefully
2: to subject to diffusion; especially : to break up and distribute (incident light) by reflection

intransitive verb
1: to spread out or become transmitted especially by contact
2: to undergo diffusion


defuse

Main Entry: de·fuse
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)dē-ˈfyüz\
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1943

1 : to remove the fuse from (as a mine or bomb)
2 : to make less harmful, potent, or tense <defuse the crisis>