Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VISE

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explore the archives: A clamping device (like these) is a vise here in the U.S. but a vice everywhere else. We've checked out only a few other words spelled differently overseas: 1. ___dor (or ___dour) is sincere, open honesty. 2. ___cor (or ___cour) is bitter, long-held hatred. 3. __lor (or __lour) is bold determination in the face of danger. Could you recall each? They're in ABC order. make your point with... "VISE" Carpenters and other workers often use vises (pictured here), which are adjustable tools with jaws that firmly hold things in place.   We use "vise" as a metaphor to mean any very firm control over someone or something. Pronunciation: VICE (rhymes with "nice") Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one vise or multiple vises.) Other forms: viselike How to use it: Make sure you rhyme "vise" with "nice" and not "rise." I point that out here because if we read the word phonetically, or if we notice its similarity to "advise," we might say it wrong. We can use "vise" in similes, talking about clamping one thing onto another like a vise ("the test proctor clamped her eyes onto the kids like a vise") or someone or something's vise grip or viselike grip on someone or something else ("a generation caught in the vise grip of student loan debt," "the dictator keeps a viselike grip on the media"). More often than a simile, though, we use "vise" as a metaphor. Talk about a (or the) vise of something: a vise of regulations, the vise of debt, this vise of morality. Someone or something might be in a vise (or held in one): "Katniss's district remained in the Capitol's vise," "guilt held her heart in a vise." Or, someone or something can be caught, locked, pinched, put, squeezed, or trapped in a vise. That metaphorical vise is often on someone or something: "the Capitol keeps a vise on the districts." And the vise might be tightened or loosened: "The team loosened their vise on the opponents later in the game." You might specify a type of metaphorical vise: a competitive vise, an emotional vise, a financial vise, a legal vise. Lastly, because a vise has jaws, and because you adjust a vise with a screw, those objects can enter your metaphors: "his own obsession placed him in a vise, its jaws tightening daily," "they're desperate for a way to unscrew that vise." examples: Rather than making life easier, an abundance of information or options to choose from can keep us in a vise; some call this "analysis paralysis." Sometimes, the opposing desires to be polite and to tolerate no nonsense close around me like the jaws of a vise.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "vise" means when you can explain it without saying "grip" or "immobilize." try it out: Think of something you can't do because you have a full schedule, a tight budget, or strong morals, self-control, or a strong sense of propriety. Fill in the blanks: "I consider (doing something), but the vise of _____ makes it impossible." Example: "I consider telling them to scram, but the vise of propriety makes it impossible." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.  Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy! From yesterday: Tired of the cheesy, pandering, overly emotional tone found in the final passages of books, a group of readers got together and made a list of ten commandments for authors to follow when they write these passages. That list is the ________ _________. (Two words, three syllables each. Clue: use this word.) Answer: epilogue decalogue. Try this today: Your friend makes hilarious puns, but every time he makes one, he can't stop talking energetically about how awesome it was. That's some __________ ___ ________. (Three words: the first has three syllables, the second has one, and the third has two. Clue: use this word.) review today's word: 1. The opposite of VISELIKE is A. FUN B. LOOSE C. SCATTERED 2.  It's a financial vise that they're earnestly working to _____. A. undermine B. unscrew C. buck loose Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B