coalition, collation

Coalition or coalition means a combination of people or groups, usually formed for some specific purpose --
Several charities have formed a coalition to help the victims of the disaster.
A coalition of moderates from both parties may prevail over extremists from either side.

Collation or collation means a combination made of more than one set of printed or written material, arranged in order, with duplicates removed and discrepancies noted or corrected --
We want him to help with this collation, adding notes to each discrepancy.

Collation, to a printer or publisher, means a set of pages or printed sheets arranged in proper order --
Use the collation function of your printer to arrange the sheets in order.
There was an error in the collation; some of the pages are in the wrong order.

Collation is also a term used by religious orders, meaning a light meal permitted during fast times; reading and discussing religious works together; or officially presenting a new clergyman to his church --
We will share a collation later in the afternoon.
Everyone should be present at this evening's collation.
We are preparing the church for the collation of our new minister.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"We'll need a collation of the suggestions submitted by the different members of the coalition."

distress, de-stress

Distress or distress means physical danger or mental anxiety --
The ship is in distress; we got a message a few minutes ago.
She likes to play the damsel in distress, waiting for a knight to rescue her.
The mere thought of flying causes distress; he wants to take the train.

Distress also means to cause strain, worry, or pressure, mentally --
Don't distress them with the financial details; we'll take care of it.

De-stress or de-stress means to eliminate physical or mental strain, tension, or anxiety --
He says he does yoga to de-stress after a hard day at work.
He tried meditation to de-stress, but it didn't help much.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"Workplace arguments cause distress; we should all de-stress with a company social event."

rot, wrought

Rot or rot means to decay or decompose --
That fruit will rot soon; we should put it in the freezer.
The wood will rot in a few years if you don't paint it.

Rot may also mean decay or decompostion, literally or figuratively --
There is some dry rot downstairs; it may be expensive to repair.
What a lot of rot! I don't believe a word of it!

Wrought or wrought means made by beating with a hammer, as some metal objects, or made or fashioned in general --
Each wrought iron railing is different; these houses are very old.
"What hath God wrought?"

Now that you know that, you can say --
"The old wooden railings are beginning to rot; we want to replace them with wrought iron."

antimony, antinomy

Antimony or antimony means a shiny white or gray metal, usually combined with other metals as an alloy --
Antimony is used to make clothing fire-resistant.
That battery may contain antimony.

Antinomy or antinomy means a contradiction or paradox in philosophy or logic, most commonly one arrived at by what seems to be logic --
A well-known example of antinomy is the idea of free will and belief in predestination.
"Everything I say is a lie" may demonstrate antinomy.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"Some antimony is used to make things flame-resistant, but other forms can be explosive; it's a sort of scientific antinomy."

trade, tirade

Trade or trade means a barter or exchange of some kind --
The team hopes to make a trade for a new pitcher.
He has offered a trade, but I'll have to think about it.

Trade may also mean to barter or exchange --
Do you want to trade baseball cards?
I'll trade you my sandwich for your apple.

Trade also means the national or international buying and selling of goods, stocks, commodities, etc.  --
Trade in oil stocks has soared since the news of the impending price increase.
They are working on new regulations for foreign trade.

Trade also means an occupation or means of livelihood --
What is his trade?
He went to trade school and became a plumber.

Trade may also mean a set of customers, or a set of people involved in a particular business --
We hope to increase trade with this new ad campaign.
This is a magazine read by people in the decorating trade.

Tirade or tirade means an angry speech or rant --
His tirade against the proposed bill was recorded without comment.
Once she begins a tirade, there's no stopping her.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"His last tirade was a two-hour speech against all forms of foreign trade."

ford, fjord

Ford or ford means a shallow place in a river or stream where people can cross --
There's a ford about a mile upstream from here.
The ford may be too deep to cross at this time of year.

Ford also means to cross a river or stream at a shallow place --
"Climb ev'ry mountain, ford ev'ry stream... "
He's looking for a place to ford his cattle.

Fjord or fjord ( also spelled fiord ) means a long narrow bay, especially one with rocky cliffs on both sides --
There's a fjord near here, with a town where we can stay for the night.
We should get a beautiful view of the fjord from the top of the cliff.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"If we ford the river here, we can make it back to the fjord before dark."

Note--"Ford" always capitalized is also a common surname, or a car manufacturer --
He won't drive anything but a Ford.

chestnut, chess nut

Chestnut or chestnut ( one word ) means a large edible dark brown nut,  the tree it grows on, or its dark reddish brown color, often used to describe a horse--
We are saving these to make a chestnut cream filling for a cake.
"Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands..."
She rode by on a chestnut mare.

Chestnut is also an old-fashioned term for an old or often-repeated joke or anecdote --
It's an old chestnut, but people still laugh at it.
That was an old chestnut when my grandfather first heard it.

Chess nut or chess nut ( two words, rhymes or nearly rhymes with chestnut ) means someone who is an enthusiast ( nut ) of the ancient game played on a board with 64 squares, by two people, with pieces of different rank ( chess ) --
He is a real chess nut; he hopes to be a Grandmaster some day.
He watches chess on TV; only a chess nut would do that.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"The old chess nut kept a chestnut in his pocket while he played; he thought it brought him luck."