NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 112
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Mrs. Bluezette's Grammar Guide
malapropisms part 5: solicit/elicit, tenant/tenet
Malapropisms can bring a laugh... at the expense of the speaker.
They're words that sound kind of like the correct ones but are just
wrong enough to sound ludicrous.
Here're some common ones.
"Solicit" means to ask for something, like money for sex.
v
Police arrested two prostitutes for SOLICITING outside the
library.
You've seen the sign "NO SOLICITORS" on the doors of restaurants
and stores and apartment buildings. That soliciting is about asking
for money for charity.
"Elicit" means to call forth or draw out.
v
The story on the prostitutes ELICITED more viewer calls than
we had anticipated.
A "tenant" is a renter.
v
The TENANTS met us at the door with their list of complaints
about the landlord.
A "tenet" is a belief held to be true by a group.
v
One of the TENETS of respected news operations is "get it right
first, and then get it on the air."
Mrs. B hopes you get your words right, too
