#501

The Times, September 21, 2019

This is a common error but I would not expect to see it the Times. The word should be ‘defuse’, as in defusing a bomb. ‘To diffuse’ means to spread over a large area, as in ‘television is a way of diffusing knowledge’, but is more often seen as an adjective meaning not concentrated, for example ‘diffuse sunlight’.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.