“Roll” has many roles

January 1st, 2009 at 07:00am Barry Wood

A “role” is a part to be played, maybe by a role model.

For all other uses, you need the homonym “roll.”

Those include “crescent roll,” “egg roll,” “jellyroll,” “rock and roll,” “roll bar,” “roll call,” “roller coaster,” “roller derby,” “rolling pin,” “roll-on,” “roll-top,” even “Rolls-Royce.”

We “roll our eyes,” “roll out the barrel,” “get on a roll,” “roll with the punches,” “roll back,” “roll in,” “roll out,” “roll over,” “roll up” and “merrily we roll along.”

And that concludes my blogging role for today. Happy New Year!

Entry Filed under: homonyms, word choices, idiom