The Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm Monday Moment is…
Bated vs. Baited
Bated: |ˈbātid| (adjective) – in great suspense; in anticipation; used in the phrase bated breath. “He waited with bated breath for the call to come.”
Baited: |ˈbātid| (verb) – deliberately annoyed or taunted (someone); also: prepared a hook or line with bait to catch fish.
“They mercilessly baited the little boy about his horn-rimmed glasses.”
“They baited the line with the best lure in the tackle box.”
Baited is often incorrectly used in place of bated in the phrase “bated breath.”
Correct: She waited with bated breath for the results of her final exams.
Incorrect: She waited with baited breath for the results of her final exams.
In Closing
Bated = in anticipation, as in bated breath.
Baited = taunted OR attach bait on a line
Until Next Time,
The Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm