Page 18 - NTC's Dictionary of Easily Confused Words_0844257877.djvu

B

bail-bale
• bail ['be!] the security money paid to ensure the appearance
of a prisoner in court. G e
□ nerally, a higher bail is set for more
serious crimes than for minor ones.
• bail ['be!] to remove water from a vessel. □ Before we can go
fishing, we must bail out the boat.

• bale ['be!] a large, closely pressed package of mate rial. □ For
clean, comfortable dog bedding, nothing beats a fresh, dry bale
of straw.
• bale ['be!] evil or sorrow. □ The poet often composed verses
of intense bale when she was in a dark mood.
bait-bate
• bait [bet] something used to entice or lure an animal or fish.
□ Fisherman often use minnows as bait.
• bait [bet] to nag or tease someone. □ Joan's brother is for-
ever trying to bait her into an argument.
• bate [bet] to decrease the intensity or force of something. □
When angered, Fred always tries to bate his temper by counting
to ten.
bald-balled-bawled
• bald [b:,ld] having no hair. □ During the winter, the bald
man wore a hat to keep his head warm.
• bald [b:,ld] bare or unadorned. D The Christmas tree
appeared bald after we removed all the ornaments.
• bald [b:,ld] undisguised. □ Her bald lie was immediately
noted by everyone present.
• balled [up] [b:,ld] the past tense and past participle of ball
[up] 'to form something into a tightly bound mass.' □ Yards of

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