Showing posts with label maid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maid. Show all posts

Friday, October 28, 2011

made, maid

Made or made means fashioned, devised, or constructed. Made is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago) of "make"--
He made a model volcano for a science project.
She made a cake for his birthday.
She made a dress in sewing class.

Maid or maid ( rhymes with made ) means a female domestic employee, hired to clean or tidy up--
They were so messy, they hired a maid to take care of the house.
She did all her own cleaning, and wouldn't hire a maid, although they could afford it.
Many old plays use maids and servants to help explain the plot.
Maid or maid is also an old-fashioned or archaic word for an unmarried woman--
Medieval stories are full of comely maids and knights in armor.
Joan of Arc is called the "Maid of Orleans" .

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Did you try some of the cake the new maid made? It's delicious."
"The maid made the beds."

Note--"maiden" is another form of maid, meaning an unmarried woman. It is still used today to refer to a woman's surname ( last name ) before marriage--
I can't find my old high school friends on Facebook, because I only know their maiden names.
Maiden is also used to refer to the first voyage of a ship--
The "Titanic" sank on its maiden voyage.
Maiden may also refer to the first speech a new member of parliament makes--
His maiden speech was reported in all the papers.
Maiden is also used in a more general way to mean a first attempt at doing something--
Not bad for a maiden effort.
Not to be confused with "made in" ( two words ), which may be on the label of imported goods--
Made in China
This car was made in England.