8-15-04 Peak/Pique

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="042d05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Big Ring Media Team, Inc.</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Ring Media Team, Inc."><B>home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="043d2123.jpg"> <div> Click on this link to return to <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Date">Word Watch by Date</A>.</div> <div> Click on this link to go to <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Subject">Word Watch by Subject</A>.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>8-15-04 Peak/Pique</I></div> <div> Our homophone pair du jour for this installment of Word Watch is “peak” and “pique,” as in “piqued my curiosity.” Pity the farm-fresh flaks who have only heard the expression and have not read it in a reputable source. They like the phrase, and “peak” sort of makes sense: “His curiosity was peaked,” as in "driven to its maximum height." Too bad. The correct term is “pique,” which according to our Random House Webster's college dictionary means “to excite, arouse, or provoke: <I>The remark piqued my curiosity.</I>”</div> <div> It should be noted that this is not the first meaning given for “pique.” The broader context for the term is “to affect with sharp irritation and resentment...to wound (the pride, vanity, etc.),” as in “Bill was piqued when Susan casually dismissed his idea during the meeting.” And with a closing accent - pique' - we're talking about a type of fabric. In this case, the pronunciation is “pee-KAY.” (The accent is occasionally omitted in this usage and the meaning has to be derived solely from context although the pronunciation remains the same.)</div> <div> There are a few other little tweaks for “pique,” but if you master the distinction as outlined in the first paragraph, you'll avoid the worst abuse.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>