Steer, Stare, Stir

Sample 1: “Gov Bello’s arrival at the party’s National Secretariat at about noon on Monday caused more than a steer as armed police officers in a show of force escorted the governor and some of his aides into the Secretariat causing some workers and visitors to scamper to safety.” (Confusion as pro-Tinubu governors take over APC Secretariat, Opera News, 8 March, 2023)

Let’s pay attention to the word steer which occurs in the context: “caused more than a steer.” A ‘steer’? The meaning that word is intended to convey by the writer is: shaking, noise, motion, unease, gradual movement into activity. Such is the meaning that can be teased out of the context provided by the report. But that is not the meaning of steer. To be sure, the word steer does exist in the English lexicon; the trouble here is that a meaning is assigned to the word which is alien to it. This is a typical example of lexical mistaken identity, also known malapropism! Malapropistic words are often selected on the basis of their similarity in sound; but the words are semantically distant from each other.

The word unintentionally shut out of the context by the reporter is stir. Three words whose meanings require a review here are: stir, stare, steer.  Let’s start with the form stare, a word that can be used as a noun and as a verb. It means to look at fixedly, deliberately, purposively.

Now read the following sentences: 1) Obviously lost in thought, he stared into space. 2) The owner of the stolen money stared at the innocent boy suspiciously. 3) Children should be trained not to stare at visitors but lower their heads respectfully. 4) Men should try not to stare at women who are not their wives. 4) You cannot stare at the sun without your eyes being badly damaged. 5) He lay in bed, sleepless and restless, staring at the ceiling. 6) Unknown to me that the man was blind, I thought he was staring at my gold watch. 7) Conscious that the woman of means was staring at me maliciously, I looked away shyly once in a while. 8) Apparently forlorn and pessimistic, the old man stared permanently at his amputated leg. 9) The man reprimanded his son for staring at the indecent picture. 10) Kids are seen staring at the white men. 11) The bereaved woman was caught staring tearfully at her deceased husband’s photograph. 12) Occupants of that house habitually stare at passersby. 13) The disobedient boy stared rebelliously at his father. 14) The woman turned and gave her greedy son a scolding stare. 15) Rather than respond verbally to the customer’s request for a lower price, the petty trader responded with an offensive stare. 16) Her neighbours are scared as much by her smile as by her stare. 17) The reality of our economic situation stares us in the face. 18) The woman complained that her direct boss was staring lustfully at her.

Next, we illustrate the usage of the word stir, which is the word the context requires: 1) The economic sector began to stir in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2) When the ban on partisan politics was lifted more than twenty-five years ago, the political landscape stirred in readiness for action. 3) A stone hit the leavy tree and birds stirred and chirped spontaneously. 4) The ball hit the goalpost hard, stirring the net remarkably. 5) The sight of the extensive cocoa plantation stirred up my childhood memories. 6) The news of the arrest of the chairman stirred the community of drivers. 7) Allow the water to boil; pour some flour; stir with a ladle until it becomes a paste. 8) Whenever the water was stirred by a visiting angel, the invalid engaged in a competitive struggle to take the first dive said to minister instant healing. 9) It is impossible to witness such a horrific sight without the emotions being stirred one or the other. 10) The incendiary speech stirred the audience into a violent action. 11) The bait stirred the fishes into a struggle to take a bite. 12) The forest stirred as the wind blew gently across it. 13) There seems to be a big animal occasionally stirring the water. 14) The lethargy soon gave way to stirring and the stirring morphed into a desirable action. 15) What we have now is nothing more than a stir; we are hopeful that something salutary will spring from it. 16) Every revolution is preceded by a stir, an awakening to the reality of a grim situation.

Now we turn to the word steer: 1) The storm was coming from the direction in which the boat was being steered. 2) An amateur that he was, he steered the boat in a zig zag manner. 3) A nation is like a ship steered according to the wisdom and competence of the president. 4) It is a healthy thing to have faith in those who steer the ship of the state. 5) It was alleged that the chairman was steering the ship of the association in an undesirable direction. 6) It was certainly a dangerous journey; mercifully, the driver was able to steer the car to a safe haven. 7) The moderator was able to steer the discussion to an acceptable conclusion. 8) The car was rolling dangerously down the hill; but the young man succeeded in steering it to safety. 9) If people steer government business the way they steer their private businesses, the nation will be a much better place. 10) Most modern cars have a power steering device. 11) Without the help of power steering, driving would be a much more strenuous exercise. 12) It is extremely dangerous for a steering wheel to disengage itself while a vehicle is in motion. 13) On the surface, the connection between the steering and other components of a vehicle is simple; it is actually much more complex than may be imagined. 14) The steering has become rusty after a long time of the vehicle’s abandonment. 15) The problem with this vehicle is that its steering is too wide. 16) Can a power steering lose its ‘power’? 17) Nigerians are advised to steer clear of crashed petrol-carrying articulated lorries. 18) The NDLEA boss has advised Nigerian youths to steer clear of narcotic substances. 19) It is needless to say that people should steer clear of unprotected s3x.

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