Don Cram

It is spelled with a single “l.” All other foods using the word have “Fillet.”

The first means to be in flower (think “flor,” Spanish for flower). The second means to give off light of a greater wavelength when illuminated. Fluorspar, a mineral containing fluorine, gives off a bluish tinge when illuminated. Do not confuse this with phosphorescence which means to shine in the dark. Note the spelling of fluorescence. It is not flourescence which might be a description of the way your counter, apron, and the nearby floor look after you have kneaded bread.

Although it is unlikely you will ever need to distinguish these words when examining seaborne wreckage, there was once an important distinction. Jetsam consisted of items jettisoned by the ship’s crew in order to lighten the ship. It was often cargo (instead of unruly passengers) and became the legal property of the person who owned the land where it ultimately washed up. Flotsam was everything else, the debris that broke up or washed away unintentionally and was legally the property of the Crown. If you find submerged wreckage and attach a buoy to it, the correct word to describe the wreckage is “lagan,” pronounced “LAG-en.”