Monday, January 16, 2012

peak, peek, pique

Peak or peak means the top or summit of a mountain--
He wanted to scale the highest peak in the Himalayas, Mount Everest.
Peak may mean something that looks like the top of a mountain--
Beat the egg whites until a soft peak will keep its shape.
Peak or peak may mean the top or summit of something, figuratively--
He was at the peak of his career when he retired.
The strawberries are at their peak in June.

Peek or peek ( rhymes with peak ) means to steal a glimpse or look--
I hid your birthday present--don't peek.
Don't peek through keyholes. It's not nice.

Pique or pique ( rhymes with peek and peak ) means a snit or display of offended feelings, in a small way--
I asked if she wanted to go, but she was in a pique and wouldn't talk to me.
You always get in a pique when he tries to talk to you.


Now that you know that, you  can say--
"She was in a pique because he tried to peek and see the cake shaped like a mountain peak she was making for his birthday."

Note--"peaked" means having a point like the top of a mountain--
He wore a peaked cap.
Not to be confused with "peaked" ( pronounced peak-ed ), which is an old-fashioned term for looking ill or sickly--
What's wrong? You look peaked.
 Note # 2--someone's curiosity may be "piqued", meaning aroused or sharpened--
The noise outside piqued her curiosity, so she went to the window.
Note # 3--"peeked" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "peek"--
Oh! You peeked!
We hid his present, but he peeked.

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