Wednesday, June 24, 2015

arraign, a rain, a reign

Arraign or arraign ( one word ) means to summon before a court to answer an indictment, literally or figuratively--
They will arraign the suspect on Monday.
If they arraign him before the court of public opinion, he will be found guilty.

A rain or a rain ( two words, rhymes with arraign ) means a steady fall of water from the clouds, literally, or something else, figuratively--
News reports claim they had a rain of spiders in Australia.
He fell beneath a rain of blows, and lost consciousness.

A reign or a reign ( two words, rhymes with arraign ) means a span of time during which a monarch occupies a throne, or rules a country--
She will be remembered for a reign marked by conflict and economic depression.
The old queen has had a reign of more than fifty years; she may retire soon.

A rein or a rein ( two words, rhymes with arraign ) means a leather strap used to control an animal, literally, or, figuratively, a means of control restraint--
He held a rein in each hand, and checked the runaway horse.
The new rules are intended as a rein on some of the irresponsible behavior we've had lately.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The queen, celebrating a reign of 60 years, was showered by a rain of confetti. The press refused to arraign her political conservatism, which often served as a rein on modernization."

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