Word Question 4

School is back in session online for me, and it’s every bit as weird and stressful as I expected. Some kids don’t show up for online groups. Or they don’t know how to click out of one group and into another. It’s a lot for all of us to learn.

So anyway, you all get another word question. The phrase I’m wondering about now is “wet” your appetite. I had always heard “whet” your appetite. Either way, the phrase indicates piquing someone’s interest or making them eager for whatever the subject of the sentence is.

“Wet” does conjure an image of someone salivating with hunger. That’s not too bad if we’re talking about making someone more hungry. However, it doesn’t seem very connected to generating excitement about something.

On the other hand, “whet” indicates sharpening a tool with a whetstone. If you “whet” someone’s appetite, you are sharpening their hunger.

I think it’s interesting that our “hone in” discussion last time also had to do with sharpening as a metaphor for increased interest. In the past, tools were important and good quality ones were carefully maintained so they would last. These days, if our tools get dull, we just toss them and buy new ones.

Anyway! What do you guys think? Do you prefer to sharpen interest, or make it droll?

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