Answer - what is the difference between reeling and railing
No two words that sound vaguely alike could be more different in their meanings than railing and reeling. With a little help from our friends in The Sentinel...
As a noun, a railing is either a guard rail, designed to block access to an area, or a handrail, which provides support, eg on a staircase.
"Just as well they have this railing here," Blair commented as he looked at the barrier guarding the three-foot drop between the sidewalk and the road. "It really wouldn't be safe without it."
As a verb, it's the present and past participle of 'to rail', and means ranting; a complaint often using abusive language. (Middle English, from French railler) (Concise OED)
"I'm tired of hearing the jocks railing about being expected to work in class," Blair muttered. "They have to take some academic subjects, so they should be willing to work at them!"
Reeling is the present or past participle of the verb to reel.
As a transitive verb (that is, one that takes an object) it means winding a length of thin flexible material around a fixed object (a reel) as used by sportsmen when catching a fish.The first time Blair caught a fish, he glanced excitedly at Jim while reeling it in.
As an intransitive verb, it means walking unsteadily, staggering.Jim supported Blair, who was reeling from the blows inflicted on him by Ventriss' goons, as he took him home.
It can also be used figuratively;The precinct was reeling in the aftermath of Zeller's attack.
A reel is also a kind of folk dance, though people dancing a reel wouldn't normally think of themselves as 'reeling' - they'd say they were dancing.
If you're reeling unsteadily down the road, after having indulged rather too enthusiastically of the liquid refreshments at a party, you might remember that a railing, if there is one handy, can give you support.
Sources
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Railing
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/reel?q=reel
As a noun, a railing is either a guard rail, designed to block access to an area, or a handrail, which provides support, eg on a staircase.
"Just as well they have this railing here," Blair commented as he looked at the barrier guarding the three-foot drop between the sidewalk and the road. "It really wouldn't be safe without it."
As a verb, it's the present and past participle of 'to rail', and means ranting; a complaint often using abusive language. (Middle English, from French railler) (Concise OED)
"I'm tired of hearing the jocks railing about being expected to work in class," Blair muttered. "They have to take some academic subjects, so they should be willing to work at them!"
Reeling is the present or past participle of the verb to reel.
As a transitive verb (that is, one that takes an object) it means winding a length of thin flexible material around a fixed object (a reel) as used by sportsmen when catching a fish.The first time Blair caught a fish, he glanced excitedly at Jim while reeling it in.
As an intransitive verb, it means walking unsteadily, staggering.Jim supported Blair, who was reeling from the blows inflicted on him by Ventriss' goons, as he took him home.
It can also be used figuratively;The precinct was reeling in the aftermath of Zeller's attack.
A reel is also a kind of folk dance, though people dancing a reel wouldn't normally think of themselves as 'reeling' - they'd say they were dancing.
If you're reeling unsteadily down the road, after having indulged rather too enthusiastically of the liquid refreshments at a party, you might remember that a railing, if there is one handy, can give you support.
Sources
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Railing
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/reel?q=reel