waylay / waylaid / waylaid.
Occasionally the past tense or past participle is misspelled *”waylayed” — e.g.:
o “Keggi’s career was waylayed [read ‘waylaid’] in 1993 when she drank some bad water and was stricken with lingering symptoms from E-Coli bacteria.” Paul Harber, “They’re Going the Distance,” Boston Globe, 24 Apr. 1997, at C10.
o “The Trojans melted at 12:25 of the second half Friday, when [Taj] Gibson (team-high 16 points and 12 rebounds) was waylayed [read ‘waylaid’] with the fourth foul.” Brian Hamilton, “Heels Rush In,” Chicago Trib., 25 Mar, 2007, Sports §, at 1.
o “Within the first three hours of the 26.2-mile event, hundreds of runners had been waylayed [read ‘waylaid’] by the heat and medical tents were filled with participants requiring treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion.” Michael Tsai, “Honolulu Marathon Feels Chicago’s Heat,” Honolulu Advertiser, 10 Oct. 2007, at D1.
*Invariable inferior form.
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Quotation of the Day: “So far, the anglophone world has never really been forced out of its monoglot complacency, and the legend that there is something in the Anglo-Saxon genes that forbids linguistic proficiency continues to be fostered.” Anthony Burgess, A Mouthful of Air 155 (1992).
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