Monday, April 27, 2015

illicit, elicit

Illicit or illicit means unlawful or unauthorized; unlicensed; shady--
Here's a news story about the illicit relationship between a detective and a mobster's wife.
The police set up a hidden camera, hoping to catch an illicit drug deal on video.

Elicit or elicit means to draw out or to bring forth, as an answer or response--
He lectured for an hour, but the only response he managed to elicit was "yeah".
Try putting the question another way, and you may be able to elicit a sensible answer.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The mayor's speech may help to elicit information about illicit activity in the downtown area."

No comments:

Post a Comment