Howlers for July

communal garden for common or garden (Think “This is the common – or garden – variety.”)

repatriate for return If you found a fiver in the street you probably wouldn’t be able to repatriate it. Barrister on Breakfast, BBC1, July 24 09

officious for official "the role hardly suited the officious persona of a Catholic princess" Observer June 19 (bossily organising/public)

cajole for regale (persuade/entertain)

regutted for gutted We’ve regutted the kitchen… Homes Under the Hammer, July 09

capricious for ironic “a deeply compassionate drama of division and reconciliation in apartheid South Africa playing the capriciously named 'Great White Way' in an attempt to prick America’s own racist conscience.” Independent June 25 09 The Great White Way is a section of Broadway in New York. If you act capriciously you're probably being contrarian, irresponsible, unpredictable and careless of others' feelings.

plumbing for channelling “with Tsakane Maswanganyi’s Irina plumbing the soul singer in her operatically inflected numbers “Trouble Man” and the enduring “Stay Well”.” Indy June 25 09 To plumb something's depths, i.e. measure how deep it is, you let down a string with a lead (Latin: plumbum) weight on the end.

déclassé for passé “the strong, silent father type became declassé a good while ago” Ben Gorge quoted in Observer June 7 09 (slipped down the class ladder/dated)

dearly for deeply But in the 1960s, the impact of the Beeching cuts was felt dearly by a community reliant on the fishing industry. bbc.co.uk June 09 If you say "I would dearly love to..." you mean "It was the dearest wish of my heart..." The Greeks called this a transferred epithet.