Would you put jam or jamb on your biscuits? Does a gesture or a jester entertain the king? Is your crown in need of a jewel or a joule? Is the large vein in your neck a juggler or a jugular?
homemade strawberry jam, flickr
jam, jamb
Jam is preserves of fruit that has been slightly crushed and boiled with sugar to be enjoyed on biscuits. There are lots of other meanings to this word, although that is the first one I thought of.
Freshly made strawberry jam was served with the biscuits.
As a verb, jam means to press, squeeze, or wedge tightly between bodies or surfaces. And as a noun, it means a mass of objects, vehicles, etc., jammed together or otherwise unable to move except slowly.
He was late for work because of the traffic jam.
Jamb is a word that has to do with architecture or building. It is either of the vertical sides of a doorway, arch, window, or other opening.
The detective noticed a strange symbol carved into the door jamb.
jester, gesture
A jester a person who is given to witticisms, jokes, and pranks. A jester is also a professional fool or clown, especially at a medieval court.
The Court Jester is my favorite Danny Kaye movie.
A gesture is a movement or position of the hand, arm, body, head, or face that is expressive of an idea, opinion, emotion, etc.
The queen’s discreet gesture signaled her entourage that she was ready to leave.
http://nowiknow.com/the-queens-secret-code/
diamonds and gems in large pile, flickr
jewel, joule
A jewel is a cut and polished precious stone or a gem. A jewel is also a person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable.
The bracelet was made of precious jewels.
A joule is the standard unit of energy in electronics and general scientific applications. One joule is defined as the amount of energy exerted when a force of one newton is applied over a displacement of one meter. One joule is the equivalent of one watt of power radiated or dissipated for one second.
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/joule
In science class this past week, Julie learned the definition of joule.
in agreement (jibing), max pixel
jibe, gibe
Jibe and gibe are easily confused and I can understand why.
A nautical term, jibe means to shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom.
Another meaning of jibe is to be in harmony or accord, to agree.
What your daughter said doesn’t jibe with what I know to be true.
As a verb, gibe means to taunt or to deride, to utter mocking or scoffing words or to jeer. As a noun, a gibe is a taunting or sarcastic remark.
She ignored the gibes thrown at her on her first day in a new school.
What makes these two words so confusing is that jibe is a variant spelling of gibe. So, jibe can also mean to taunt or deride, to utter mocking or scoffing words or to jeer. A jibe can also be a taunting or sarcastic remark.
The snooty girls couldn’t understand why the newcomer simply ignored the jibes they threw her way on her first day of school.
jockey & horse, flickr
jockey, Jockey
A jockey is a person who rides horses professionally in races. When I hear the word jockey, this is the definition I think of first. But a jockey is also a person who pilots, operates, or guides the movement of something, as an airplane or automobile.
Julie Krone, at 4 ft. 10.5 in. tall, is the shortest jockey ever.
http://www.sportyarena.com/2011/01/10-shortest-athletes-and-sportsmen-ever.html
When capitalized, Jockey is a trademark for a type of underwear.
Jockey has been in the business of making underwear for over sixty-five years.
Do jockeys wear Jockeys?
juggler, jugular
A juggler is someone who is able to keep several objects, such as balls, plates, tenpins, or knives, in continuous motion in the air simultaneously by tossing and catching.
Sheila hired a juggler to perform at her young son’s birthday party.
Jugular pertains to the throat or neck or to any of certain large veins of the neck, especially one (external jugular vein) collecting blood from the superficial parts of the head or one (internal jugular vein) collecting blood from within the skull.
The attacker aimed for the jugular with his knife.
Gdansk Zaspa, road junction, wikimedia commons
junction, juncture
A junction is a place or point of union.
Their secret meeting was to be at the junction of the old railroad tracks.
A juncture is a point of time.
We will take a break at this juncture in the proceedings.
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