Page:A Desk-Book of Errors in English.djvu/98

fault fermentation fault: The different meanings of this word should be clearly distinguished. A man perplexed or one who has made a mistake is at fault; if he has done anything for which he may be blamed he is in fault. A hound is at fault when he has lost the scent.

faun, fawn: Homophones each with a distinct meaning. Faun is from the Latin Faunus, god of agriculture and of shepherds, and signifies a god of the woods; fawn, from the Anglo Saxon faegen, fain, signifies to seek favor by cringing and subserviency.

favor in the sense of "resemble" is a colloquialism, the use of which is not recommended.

faze, feeze: Slang terms for "disconcert" or "confuse," either of which is to be preferred.

feel to: A colloquial expression meaning "to have an impulse;" as "I feel to agree with you," which can not be too severly condemned.

feel bad, feel badly: Discriminate carefully between these terms. If you mean to express the idea that you are ailing in health, feel bad is correct. Feel bad is synonymous with feel ill and is correct. One might as well say feel illy as feel badly if the latter were correct as applied to health. However, feel badly is correct when the intention is to say that one's power of touch is defective as through a mishap to the fingers.

feel good, feel well: Distinguish carefully between these phrases. Good signifies having physical