If you hear about a foreign government's violent overthrow on the news, you can describe it as a coup d'etat.
The noun coup d'etat is useful for talking about revolutionary uprisings or military takeovers that result in a country's government changing hands very suddenly. The term is often shortened to just coup, and it has been used in English since the late 1700s. Coup d'etat means "stroke of the state," or "strike against the state," and since it's French, it's pronounced "coo day tah."
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Confusion between loath ("unwilling or reluctant") and loathe ("to hate") is a growing trend.
To faze is to disturb, bother, or embarrass, but a phase is a stage or step. It could faze your family if your princess phase lasts well into your college years.
Bridal is related to a bride, but bridle refers to a part of a horse's harness and what you do with it. Although the words sound the same, they run in different circles unless you're getting a horse ready for her wedding.
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love an allusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer from delusions, ideas that have no basis in reality.
To wave is to move to and fro, like when you wave your hand. Hello there! To waive, with a sneaky "i," is to give up your right to do something.
Adverse and averse are both turn-offs, but adverse is something harmful, and averse is a strong feeling of dislike. Rainstorms can cause adverse conditions, and many people are averse to rain.
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