Don't Flaunt that Rule!

For the past two weeks, I have looked at Warren Clements' "Hall of Shame" from his column, Word Play, published Saturdays in The Globe and Mail newspaper. Here's a third member.

We all know people who like to flaunt their wealth. And, often, the same ones doing the flaunting also do some flouting! What do I mean? To flaunt means to show something off (usually something expensive or rare). To flout means to disregard or disobey a rule.

So, a person driving a fancy Mercedes Benz sports car can both flaunt their wealth and, very often, flout the speed limit at the same time.

But, whatever you do, don't confuse flaunt with flout or you'll become the next member of Clements' "Hall of Shame"!

 

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