A Conversation for Homophones and Catachreses
It's not a homonym but...
Jim Lynn Started conversation Dec 15, 1999
Since some of your list aren't as well, I thought I'd throw it in.
Infer: To reason or deduce from given evidence.
Imply: To suggest something without explicitly stating it.
These two are often confused, especially by people trying to make themselves sound more intelligent than they are (oh the irony).
It's easy to remember, especially if you've seen the film 'Wilt':
Policeman: Are you inferring I'm an idiot?
Wilt: No, I'm implying you're an idiot. You see, the listener infers, the speaker implies.
P.S. Shouldn't the title of this page be 'Homonyms' - it seems a shame that there's a perfectly good noun going to waste.
It's not a homonym but...
zb Posted Dec 15, 1999
The (mis) use of infer and imply is a catachresis.
zb 
P.S. Shouldn't the title of this forum be renamed? It seems a shame that there's a perfectly good noun going to waste!
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It's not a homonym but...
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