Q: My husband and I disagree about the terms "grilling" and "drilling." If I'm "grilling/drilling" someone over a specific topic or, in other words, questioning him or her heavily on a subject, which is the correct word? — Puzzled

A: Why do I feel as if I'm being grilled? That's my preferred term for intense interrogation conducted under swinging light bulbs.

The primary meaning of the verb "grill," of course, is "to broil something on a grill or griddle." But astute observers soon detected a similarity between a filet of sole sizzling on a grill and a poor soul being questioned, and thus "grill" acquired the meaning "to question intensely."

True story: In high school, I once held up a cold cheese sandwich in the cafeteria and directed this question to it: "And where were YOU on the night of the 13th?" thus turning it, or so I thought, into a "grilled" cheese sandwich. None of my buddies got the joke.

As for "drill," a case could be made that one of its literal definitions could be extended to mean "bore into" someone for answers, as if you were drilling into his head. (Kids, don't try this at home.)

But using "drill" this way can cause confusion with one of the word's other meanings — "to train or instill." "He drilled the suspect for hours" could mean that he trained him in routine exercises. "He grilled the suspect for hours" is clear, unless cannibalism or torture is involved.

Q: There seems to be some weakening of the rules about "a/an," for instance, "a/an hotel," "a/an honor." Could you comment? — P. Clark, West Hartford

A: It would be an honor.

The standard rule is very straightforward: An "a" is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound ("a grilling"), while "an" is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound ("an interrogation").

But words beginning with the letter "h" cause problems because sometimes the consonant "h" is sounded, e.g., "hotel," "house," "hawk," but sometimes it's silent, e.g., "honor," "hour," "honest." Most of us instinctively choose the correct article ("a" or "an") for "h" words, e.g, "a hotel," "an honor," without even thinking about it.

But "h" words that begin with unaccented syllables, such as "historic," "habitual" and "humanitarian," pose a problem because the "h" in these words is barely pronounced. Thus, there's nothing wrong with referring to "an historic occasion" or to "an habitual offender" — someone, by the way, who's often grilled.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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