guest post – Madder & Matter

We've discussed the lazy American T before, and how it creates homophones on this side of the pond that would never be considered homophones in the old world. Since I have as much respect for UK English as I do US, it's a subset of homophones I don't plan to explore fully here at HW. Heard one, heard 'em all, as far as I'm concerned.
But...
I am a sucker for a kid's blossoming interest in literacy. And illustration. So when my son insisted I should illustrate Madder and Matter, then decided he could do a better job of it himself, I was happy to let him.
As guest posts go here at HW, this is the first time I haven't even modified the guest's image. I couldn't think of a concise way to fit it neatly into my style rules, and my boy wouldn't let me think about it for a few more weeks. So I present it to you as he explained it to me. On the left: a mad dude and an even madder dude. On the right, someone asking those two dudes "what's the matter?" – and also a drawing of water in its three states of matter. :)
Thanks for the help this week, Harrison!

shameless self-promotion

Sorry to bug y'all like this, but the Kickstarter campaign for my comic book series (with a homophone title, no less) Woodstalk: 3 Days of Peace, Music, and Zombies could use your help in the next, oh, 36 hours or so. If you're feeling generous, any little bit helps.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bruceworden/woodstalk-issue-3
Thanks,
Bruce

Whirled, Whorled, World

Whirled – (v.) spun around in circles, past tense of Whirl.
Whorled – (adj.) describes a circular or spiral pattern, especially in nature.
World – (n.) something we seem singularly focused on using up and destroying, despite the fact that we have nowhere else to go.

Rain, Reign, Rein

ai – "not enough sense to come in out of the–"
eig – what Roger Daltrey wanted Love to do o'er him. This is indicative of ruling or being in control.
ei – this one refers to the little straps used to control a horse while riding it.
The fact that both of the second definitions refer to being in control of something has led to confusion about which spelling to use in the phrases "free rein," "full rein," and "rein in." These phrases describe the amount of control a person has over a situation. But they don't describe that control directly; they describe the application of that control. They speak to the person applying the control, not the person receiving it. It's not that you receive the ability to reign over a situation, it's that you are using figurative reins to oversee the amount of control a person has. "Rein" is the correct spelling for each of those phrases, even if I've done a terrible job explaining it.

All & Awl

As in "There are many different types of awls, but they all do the same thing as a sharp stick."

Brewed & Brood

It wasn't until I had finished drawing the chicks in the nest that I remembered brood has a second definition. Not only does it mean a group of offspring raised at the same time, it also means to contemplate, ponder, or worry. Which, if you ask me, seems like the same thing.

To, Too, Two

I almost missed it, but this month marks the second anniversary of Homophones, Weakly! To celebrate, I figured I should finally get around too To, Too, and Two. With special thanks two everybody who has suggested it over the years. Sorry it took me so long.

Hmm, maybe this one is clearer? Now I'm just second-guessing myself. (eh? eh? second guessing?) :)

Resinate & Resonate

With an I – treat with resin, e.g., trapping an ant in amber.
With an O – emit/amplify sound or some other vibration.
"The children's horrified screams resonated throughout the museum when they saw that exhibit of resinated human bodies."
Thanks to Abe for (sort of) suggesting this one.

Gnawed & Nod

Ain't

Can anybody tell me why "ain't" has an apostrophe?

Lice & Lyse

Lice – (n.) plural form of "louse."
Lyse – (v.) to rupture a cell through the process of lysis.
Did I mention that I'm also a scientific illustrator? :)

Meatier & Meteor

I had this whole storyline going, with a dinosaur eating another dinosaur then noticing something falling from the sky... but I just couldn't make it work. Then I wanted to have a meteor shooting through the sky, followed by a MUCH larger one, a meatier one... but that didn't work because I always do these pairs alphabetically, so Meatier had to come first. (Rules is rules.)
So it's a pretty straightforward pair of images for you today, lacking in the humor, depth, and nuance you've come to expect from the Internet.

Leader & Liter

Ah, the lazy American T. Responsible for so many homophones. Bid and Bit would never be pronounced the same here, but Bidder and Bitter often are. Wade and Wait – two distinct pronunciations. Waded and Waited – let's just say them the same, why not?
Here's an interesting little description of the tongue tap that we (and apparently Australians) are so fond of. UK English speakers apparently wouldn't hear these words as homophones at all. Which is just as well; when we say "take me to your leader," they'll know exactly what we mean.

Dual & Duel

With an A – an adjective referring to the number two, or, more specifically, to two aspects of a single concept/item.
With an E – also refers to the number two, but only as a fight or dispute between two people.

Or, for those who prefer things that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away:

Quarts & Quartz

-s – plural form of "quart," a measurement of volume.
-z – a crystalline mineral.
There is so much quartz in the earth's crust, you would measure it in tons rather than quarts.

Earn & Urn

Earn – (v.) receive payment in exchange for work.
Urn – (n.) decorative vase, often the type used for holding human remains.
If your job is too dangerous – like, oh, say, professional football in the 21st century – you may eventually earn an urn rather than a paycheck.

Base & Bass

Base – the lowest surface of an object, upon which it rests. Similarly, a surface upon which another object rests, even metaphorically as a "base of operations." Also, chemically, the opposite of an acid.
Bass – the lowest/deepest range of musical notes, or the voice/instrument that produces them.

O, Oh, Owe

As in "Oh, don't worry honey. I owe the devil our first-born, but look how well I can play guitar!"

Pause & Paws

Q, Cue, Queue

Q are a race of all-powerful beings from an extradimensional plane of existence known as the Q Continuum – no, wait, that's not it. Q is just an O with a tail.
Cue – I'll just use the dictionary.com definition, because I don't think I can improve upon it: "a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses." It's also the stick you hit balls with in pool/billiards.
Queue – fancy British word for a bunch of people or things lined up waiting for something.