"NY" on Tue, 10 Jul 2018 22:43:29 +0100 typed in
alt.windows7.general the following:
"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
.. .
I'm sure we have plenty of words which
have two totally different meanings - can't think of one off the top of my
head.

Cleave - to separate something into two parts. To join together.

Cleave has got to be one of the more bizarre words with a double meaning,
because the two meanings are diametrically opposite.

I tend to think of cleave as meaning to split apart, as in a cleaver, the
huge square-headed chopping knife that butchers use. I'd forgotten about
cleave meaning to join together.

English has the "joy" that it has two words sounding alike, and
even spelled alike, with different roots. "Leasing" is my current
favorite. Yes, it means "to convey property for a set time and cost"
from the Anglo-French. But it also meant lying, falsehood, from the
Old English "leasung". Example
"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?
how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?" (Psalm 4.2
KJV)

The ultimate word that can be misinterpreted is "inflammable". We are so
used to the prefix "in" meaning "not" (insubstantial, inhumane etc) that
some people think that inflammable is the opposite of flammable - ie, if
something is inflammable, it is not capable of catching fire. Not true
:-( Both words mean the same. Apparently "inflammable" is banned in
safety-related information/signs for this reason - the unambiguous term is
"non-flammable".

Thinking of emergency signs that can be misunderstood, German has the
problem that "not" means "emergency". So "notausgang" means "emergency exit"
but an English person might interpret as "this is not an emergency exit -
look somewhere else for one". I noticed a similar sign "nødudgang" on
certain windows of Norwegian coaches when I was on holiday there, and it's
virtually the same in Swedish and Danish.

I've heard of people mistaking "keine Trinkwasser" as "little
[kleine] drinking water" instead of "don't drink the water." Oops.
--
pyotr filipivich
Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing?