The same, and different

Sentence 1: "In the early 1980s, the Afghans fought with the Russians... and helped them take Kabul."

Sentence 2: "In the early 1980s, the Afghans fought with the Russians... and stopped them from taking Kabul."

What's the difference between the two? Congratulations if you noticed that "fought with" has two completely different meanings. In Sentence 1, it means to battle alongside, while in Sentence 2, it means to resist.

Welcome to the world of "autoantonyms". An autoantonym is a word or phrase has two distinct meanings, which are opposite. It "contradicts itself", in other words. Autoantonyms are sometimes called "Janus words", after the two-headed Roman god, or "antagonyms" or "contranyms".

Another example? Let's take the word "peer". It can mean an equal, as in a classmate. EXAMPLE: "I feel less successful than my peers. What should I do?"

But peer in British English can also mean a noble person of higher rank. EXAMPLE: "Peers and peeresses are called by 'Lord' or 'Lady' prefixed to the title, for example, Lord Spencer or Lady Thatcher."

If you enjoy playing with autoantonyms, you'll like Wordplay. Florida State University has some more attractive-looking pages on its website, but fans of wordplay won't be upset by the basic design. As Shakespeare once said, "The play's the thing." (Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2).