Elusive vs Allusive
elusive
hard to catch/pin down
allusive
full of references
How to tell them apart
eLusive = hard to Lay hands on (the Lasso keeps missing). ALLusive = makes ALLusions, ALL those references.
Test yourself
Fill in the blank: “Only one of these words means hard to catch/pin down. That word is ______.”
Choose: elusive or allusive
Show answer
Answer: elusive
Elusive means hard to catch/pin down, which matches hard to catch/pin down. Allusive means full of references, so it is the wrong choice here.
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