Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

It's easy to make this sort of mistake in impromptu speech. I'm more
annoyed by the third-person examples, where the reporter should have had
enough time to reflect on the meaning of the word.

"The Prime Minister today refuted any suggestion that awarding a
contract to his brother's company was improper, saying that the Leader
of the Opposition should mind his own business."

This has been a sore point with for me a couple of decades now. I think
it has been discussed on here at least once before. People like us were
taught that to "deny" an accusation meant to assert its falsity,
whereas to "refute" it meant to demonstrate its falsity. However, we
are Canutes I fear. (Yes, folks, I know that Canute only commanded the
waves to retire in order to show his courtiers that even the power of
kings had limits).

I believe some dictionaries now give "deny" as an alternative meaning
of "refute". Another useful distinction on the way out...

In alt.usage.english, Philip Eden wrote:

Yes. And it was paraphrased by several newsreaders with the refute
intact.

Did anyone else misunderstand this eye-catching headline in The Daily
Telegraph?

       Pair accused in 21/7 bomb plot joke as they buy chemicals

"Philip Eden" <philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom> (or somebody else of the same
name) wrote thusly in message <45b2069c$0$2447$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk>:

A woman of ill refute perhaps :)