Whet Notes - Pine Creek High School

Whet
Word of
the Week
March 2-6, 2015
Verb
To whet is to sharpen. You could whet a knife's
blade with a whetting stone, or you
could whet your appetite by having some
Doritos.
The verb whet can mean "to stimulate or make more acute," and
the word is often used in the phrase "whet [your] appetite," which can be used literally or
figuratively. You could serve light appetizers to whet everyone's appetite for dinner or you could
whet an actor's appetite by giving him a small role that inspires him for greater roles. You can
whet other things in this sense as well — such as curiosity, fear, or pleasure.
DEFINITIONS AND USAGE EXAMPLES
Pronunciation: \ˈhwet, ˈwet\
 Sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone
 Make keen or more acute.
o “. . . whet my appetite.”
o In order to whet your appetite, some issues are set out below which, it is hoped, will
stimulate debate.
o These pages are intended both for the information of current Trinity undergraduates and
to whet the curiosity of prospective admissions candidates.
o However, the book should certainly whet your appetite to learn more about the
remarkable colony of Australia.
o I heard the clanging slur of the scythe stone as he whetted the blade.
o Your blade must be dry, and that is why you will see men rubbing the scythe-blade with
grass before they whet it.
SYNONYMS: sharpen, quicken, stimulate
Directions: Discuss the meaning of the word with your students, with special emphasis on any
variations or nuances of the word specific to your discipline. Consider taking it a step further by
using one or all of the following ideas as you involve students with the new vocabulary. Remember to
preview all content you intend to share with students. Not all items on the lists provided below are
appropriate for all classes or age levels.
 (Business/Technology)
“Samsung and Sony: Searching for a New Frontier” from BBC, 5 Sept. 2013
“Do you get excited by yet another new
touchscreen smartphone? Does the latest
all-singing all-dancing tablet grab your
attention?
Unless you are a dedicated technophile, I
imagine the answer is no. And that is why the
major technology firms are now on the hunt for
new kinds of gadget to whet the jaded
appetites of consumers."
Click to link to the article.
“10 Things to Expect at Mobile World Congress: There Will Be Phones.”
From The Verge, 27 Feb. 2015
Mobile World Congress, or
MWC if you're in the know, is
the largest trade show for
mobile technology: phones,
networks, hotspots,
infrastructure, and more
phones.
Click to link to the article.
… to whet your appetite for
now, here are nine things plus
one wildcard we expect to see
at this year's MWC.”

(Social Science/Culture/World Languages)
“Emmanuel Abidemi, chef and owner behind Bolat Restaurant & Lounge [in Chicago], a
restaurant specializing in food from sub-Saharan Africa, [was] offering a free prix fixe
meal to 20 couples on Wednesdays. Yep, you read that correctly: An entire meal. For free.
Q: Why did you start "On the House Wednesdays"?
A: My philosophy with food is that food is like the window into any culture. If you want
people to understand what your culture is like, one of the first things you have to do is
whet their appetite. If people like the food, they may be more curious about the culture.
For me, and usually the way we are in Africa, food is one of those things that's not a big
deal. Everybody gives everybody food. . . I believe nobody is ever going to speak for
Africans unless Africans participate in society and really try explaining themselves, telling
their own stories and their own ideas. As a business owner I think (food) is a good place to
start.”
From The Chicago Tribune, 6 Novemeber 2014
Consider discussing with your students what foods they have eaten that they would say
have given them insight into a culture. What was the food, and what was the insight
they got from eating it?

(English/Seminar/Social Science)
“Playwright August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle
traces the complicated journey of a black
American family through 10 decades of the
20th century. From one generation to the
next, the characters strive to matter to
themselves, to family members and to the
community. . .
“King Hedley II, the ninth play in the cycle,
was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. The 2001
Broadway production received six Tony
Award nominations and five Drama Desk
Award nominations. . .
“Wilson gives us a sense of history by taking
us back to what it was like right after slavery.
. . . His 10 plays cover everything that
affected this family and so many others like
them, from political statements to baseball
and jazz musicians.
“Mr. Wright credits Miss Baskerville, his
teacher at Barringer High School in Newark,
New Jersey, with talking him into joining a
drama and debate group. The competitions
she built around American history whetted
his interest in becoming a performer.
“Wilson cautions that we must pay attention to what is going on and to each other. History repeats
itself when you don’t expect it.”
Consider discussing with your students, or having them do a quick-write: What or who
would you credit with whetting your interest in your passion, whether it be music, art,
sports, or writing?
Watch this SneakPeak with your students (2 min.)
Published on Mar 10, 2014
The men of King Hedley II discuss the struggles of trying to make
a way in a society that sets you up for failure. Watch this sneak
peek into the complex characters of August Wilson's King Hedley
II. Featuring Ronald Conner, Trinity Murdock and Marc Rogers.

(Science/Zoology/Business)
A northern saw whet owl.
HOUSTON, Minn. (AP) 9
Jan. 2015--The
International Owl Center
has its first home.
For 10 years, the center
was mostly the dream of Karla Bloem, head of the Houston Nature Center and an avid lover of owls.
The International Owl Center formed as a not-for-profit organization, and Bloem is on its board of
directors. The group had visions of a large, free-standing center, with room for owls, exhibits and
visitors, but the group is short of cash - up to $7 million - to make that dream a reality.
Instead, the board decided to rent an empty downtown storefront on Houston’s main street. It had
once been a department store, then a restaurant. Bloem, along with many volunteers, is slowly
turning the former eatery into the owl center.
The goal is to have it ready for the International Festival of Owls on March 6-8.
The empty store was chosen because it’s the only building in the town of about 1,000 that has
enough open space, she said.
Though the building is far from ready, it’s hard to miss. The two front windows are filled with head
shots of great horned and northern saw whet owls.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/10/international-owl-center-makes-its-1stnest/#ixzz3T4keOfIA
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

(Senior English/AVID
Business/Resumes & Interviews)
“Stand out from the Pack with This Cover Letter Technique: How a Three-Step
Process Can Get You an Interview.”
From U.S. News, 22 October 2014
“Ensure a compelling letter by
breaking down the exact qualities
the employer wants and how you
exemplify them.
“You know you should customize
your cover letter every time you
apply for a new job, but where do
you even start? Use this three-step
process to build a compelling cover
letter that separates you from the
pack and gets you in the door. . .
“Remember, the cover letter isn’t
meant to reveal everything and
should only whet the appetite.
Click to link to the article.

(Social Science)
“A Guttering Flame” from Economist, 11 Feb. 2015
After a brief flickering, free speech is being snuffed out
“THIS month Al Arab, a new private Saudi-funded satellite channel, launched in Bahrain with shiny new studios and
sparkling ideals. It would, said Jamal Khashoggi, the veteran Saudi journalist appointed to head it, be the “voice of
the voiceless”. Not for long. Just six hours after Al Arab first went on air the Gulf statelet gagged it; on February 9th
authorities said it must close for good, claiming it was not properly
licensed. Its real sin, it seems, was to give airtime to Al Wefaq,
Bahrain’s main opposition party.
The short life of Al Arab is emblematic of a wider flowering of
independent Arab media, and its subsequent withering. The
channel took shape during the heady days of the Arab spring, when
autocratic regimes were falling and people yearned for free media.
Appetites had been whetted since the early 1990s, with the advent
of the internet and satellite TV.
Two INCORRECT usages of the words whet and wet: