Would you go out on a limb or a limn for someone? Is lineament or liniment rubbed on the skin to soothe it? Would you call a wild cat a links or a lynx? Is whiskey a liqueur or a liquor?
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limb, limn
When I see the word limb, I immediately picture a tree branch. But a limb is also a part or member of a human or animal body that is distinct from the head and trunk, such as a leg, arm, or wing.
After the storm, only one limb left remained on the tree.
The phrase go out on a limb means to put yourself in a risky situation to help someone. It also means to take a wild guess.
Limn is to draw or paint on a surface or to outline in clear sharp detail.
The intruder was limned by the light on the garage.
lineament, liniment
A lineament is an outline, feature, or contour of a body or figure and especially of a face —usually used in the plural.
Joy showed in every lineament of her face.
Liniment is a liquid or semiliquid preparation for rubbing on or applying to the skin, as for sprains or bruises, usually soothing or counterirritating.
The liniment gave her aching shoulders relief.
links, lynx
Links is a golf course.
Have you ever wondered why a gold course is called a links?
A lynx is a wild cat with yellowish-brown fur (sometimes spotted), a short tail, and tufted ears, found chiefly in the northern latitudes of North America and Eurasia.
The primary food of the lynx is the snowshoe hare.
liqueur, liquor
A liqueur is any of a class of alcoholic liquors, usually strong, sweet, and highly flavored, as Chartreuse or curaçao, generally served after dinner; cordial.
Liquor is a distilled or spirituous beverage, such as brandy or whiskey, as distinguished from a fermented beverage, such as wine or beer.
liter, litter
A liter is a metric unit of capacity equal to one cubic decimeter.
She bought a liter of her favorite soda pop to take to the dinner.
One of the definitions of litter is a condition of disorder or untidiness.
The litter of the room made it look like a trash heap.
literal, littoral
Literal means free from exaggeration or embellishment.
The investigator needed a literal description of the crime scene.
Littoral means of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea.
Dragonflies, damselflies, many of the lentic mayflies, aquatic beetles and bugs, and caddisflies inhabit the littoral areas of ponds and lakes.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/littoral
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