Friday, March 1, 2013

dingy, dinghy

Dingy or dingy ( dinn jee ) means worn or dirty with use, dull or shabby--
That chair looks dingy. We should have it reupholstered.
The house looked weathered and dingy from the outside, but the inside was bright.

Dinghy or dinghy ( dinn ghee ) means a little boat that is carried on a larger boat--
Do you think you can take the dinghy and row to shore?
That looks like a man in the water. Lower the dinghy and we'll pick him up.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The dinghy is looking dingy--it needs a fresh coat of paint."

Note--not to be confused with "ding", the sound made when a bell rings--
You could hear the ding-dong of the bell for nearly a mile.

1 comment:

  1. What about the spelling Or word (if there is such a word) for the version used in the following sentence: "Allen, you have been acting so dinghy since you got a concussion last week, are you ok?" Thanks for your time & effort with your information!

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