By Judy Vorfeld
DISSEMBLE
Dictionaries say that to dissemble is to hide under a false appearance, conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense.
Hmm, what could we use as examples? How about people in the public eye? Like the occasional politician. Or CEO. Then there’s the sweet, innocent face of a six-year-old who has a chocolate mustache, but looks into his parent’s eyes with pure innocence and says, “I really, really, really didn’t drink the chocolate milk. Jacob did.”
DISASSEMBLE
Dictionaries explain that disassemble means to take apart, e.g., to disassemble a watch computer, or to come apart, e.g., the crowd began to come apart.
Disassembling something is neither good or bad. Unless it’s a cute little child who disassembles a dining room chair right before her parents hold a formal dinner. When later confronted, the child dissembles and says, “I really, really, really didn’t take the chair apart. Jacob did.” This is known as dissembling about disassembling.
Poor Jacob.