cap/cept
kæp / sept
Accept and except: the same hand, opposite directions
The picture A hand reaching out and closing on something. Which word you get depends only on which way the hand pulls. cap is the hand closing on it; ten is the hand that never lets go.
Where the picture shows up in cap/cept
-
Catching the moment
The camera captured the whole thing.
ðə ˈkæmərə ˈkæptʃərd ðə hoʊl θɪŋ
The camera caught the whole thing.
The shutter closing and snatching the scene in front of it.
-
Taking what's handed over
Do you accept cards here?
duː juː əkˈsept kɑːrdz hɪr
Do you take cards here?
An open palm closing around the card being held out.
ac (toward) + cept (grab): close your hand on what comes toward you and you accept it.
-
Pulled out and set aside
We're open every day except Sunday.
wɪr ˈoʊpən ˈevri deɪ ɪkˈsept ˈsʌndeɪ
We're open every day but Sunday.
Sunday lifted out of the calendar and set aside on its own.
ex (out) + cept (grab): pick one out of the set and you get except.
-
Able to hold the load
She's capable of running the shop alone.
ʃiːz ˈkeɪpəbl əv ˈrʌnɪŋ ðə ʃɑːp əˈloʊn
She can run the shop on her own.
Two hands under a heavy load with strength to spare.
-
One idea held in the mind
The concept behind the app is simple.
ðə ˈkɑːnsept bɪˈhaɪnd ðiː æp ɪz ˈsɪmpl
The idea behind the app is simple.
Scattered thoughts squeezed into a single handful.
All of it in one picture
cap and cept are one hand closing on something. Close it on a passing moment and you capture; close it on what someone holds out and you accept; lift one out and hold it apart from the rest and you get except. Close it around a load you can carry and you are capable; close it around a single idea and you have a concept. Every cap and cept word turns on one question: what did the hand close on, and which way did it pull?