Grammar annoyance of the week

[alexxkay]

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>

Comments

[negothick.livejournal.com]

No! And here I thought all bombs had huge LEDs with easy-to-read numbers on the side counting off the minutes (With breaks for commercials and sub-plots) till they were set to explode.
Shucks.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

A memorable issue of The Incredible Hulk (written by Peter David) concluded with the heroes getting to the bomb with the huge LED showing several minutes left to deal with it. Cut to the Bad Guy going through his checklist of evil. Final item: "Lie about when bomb goes off," check. BOOM.