stationary
sun"; "a splendid diamond." A heroic deed may be called splendid but a good story hardly so.
split or cleft infinitive: A form of expression in which the sign of the infinitive "to" and its verb are separated by some intervening word, usually an adverb, as in the phrase, "to quickly return": severely condemned by purists.
spondulix: Vulgarism for "money," now passing out of use.
spoonfuls, spoons full: These words have distinctive meanings. Spoonfuls means one spoon filled repeatedly; spoons full means several spoons filled once. Compare -ful.
spout, up the: A vulgarism for "with the pawnbroker," or "out of sight."
spree, to go on a: Formerly this phrase designated indulgence in boisterous frolic and excess of drink: latterly the term has been used to denote "going on an outing for the day."
square, on the: A colloquialism for "with fair intention or with reputation for fair dealing; honest."
stake, steak: Exercise care in the use of these homophones. A stake is a stick or post, as of wood; a steak is a slice of meat. Note the difference in spelling.
standpoint should not be used for "point of view."
stationary, stationery: Exercise care in the use of these words. Stationary is remaining in one place or
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