What's the difference between gumption and spunk?

Gumption


Definition:

  • (n.) Capacity; shrewdness; common sense.
  • (n.) The art of preparing colors.
  • (n.) Megilp.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) It’s not just a matter of will or gumption or desire on my part.
  • (2) The other lumped the ball forward with neither the wit nor gumption to get behind the opposition defence on a single occasion.
  • (3) It will blitz much of London's south Camden because decades ago a rail planner thought businessmen deserved a more comfortable trip to Euston, and no one had the gumption to think otherwise.
  • (4) "When I look back on it now, I wish we had the gumption or the knowledge to realise at a very early stage that Fifa wanted something fundamentally different than what we were putting on the table," the minister said.
  • (5) His front players simply did not have the wit or gumption to examine whether City, without Kompany, might be at risk.
  • (6) In a city of hustlers, tricksters, and go-getters, where the right dose of swag and gumption gets you farther than a college degree can, Furo is a bumbling non-entity.
  • (7) Yet they played with a level of wit and gumption that has become rare among visiting teams to this ground.
  • (8) Unfortunately for England, they did not have the wit or gumption to do anything about it.
  • (9) Soames said: "If the Press Complaints Commission had any gumption or mettle … we would not need to refer this matter to the select committee."
  • (10) Rid them from our small island, came the still popular reply, especially those with the gumption to organise others.
  • (11) Quitting can show coworkers or colleagues who don’t quite have the gumption to get out of obviously bad situations that it can be done; it can inspire others to have the courage to change their lot, maybe in less brazen, more incremental ways.
  • (12) Is his bossness inherent, or is it something that I or anybody else could achieve with a little bit of gumption and a lot of front?
  • (13) Why did Labour here not have the guts and the gumption to do the same thing when it had the chance.
  • (14) Manchester City stay top after late drama against Norwich City Read more Wenger’s team were beaten twice by Swansea last season and gaining vengeance, especially amid an injury crisis, is the sort of achievement that gives credence to suggestions that Arsenal may finally have the gumption to become champions once again.
  • (15) President Peña-Nieto has the gumption to ask the Egyptian government this week “to perform an exhaustive investigation” looking into the reasons why Egyptian forces air raided and killed twelve tourists, eight of which were Mexican nationals, after allegedly mistaking them for terrorists.
  • (16) There were weaknesses in the prosecution case: no forensic evidence to link Matthews to Shannon's flat prison, and doubts that Donovan – described as "soft-headed" and "a weirdo" by neighbours – had the gumption to carry out a kidnap.
  • (17) Walters has been written off before, towards the end of Pulis’s reign, and came back strongly, endearing himself even further to Stoke fans, who are particularly reluctant to vent against ageing wingers, what with there being a statue outside their ground of Sir Stanley Matthews, who played for them until just after his 50th birthday and later declared: “It was a mistake to pack it in, I could have gone on for another two years.” If sheer gumption were enough for a player to play until his 50s, then Walters would be a good bet to make it.
  • (18) He has said his show is only necessary because journalists have abandoned their responsibilities through a mix of indifference and a lack of gumption that leaves viewers and readers with no real idea of what is going on.
  • (19) Microfinance became a powerful way of casting the poor as responsible for bootstrapping themselves out of poverty: all you need is a bit of gumption and some credit, and you should do just fine – if you fail, you have no one to blame but yourself.
  • (20) And hopefuly labour will have the gumption to remind them.

Spunk


Definition:

  • (n.) Wood that readily takes fire; touchwood; also, a kind of tinder made from a species of fungus; punk; amadou.
  • (n.) An inflammable temper; spirit; mettle; pluck; as, a man of spunk.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Other countries across the world have had the spunk within them to rise up and overthrow the society that allows such inequality and unfairness to thrive.
  • (2) In the face of recurring jokes about spunk, shit and piss (the three most resilient weapons in any gross-out film-maker's arsenal), shock value soon took a tumble.
  • (3) That phenomenal voice and talent and the spunk that she has, I really admire all that.
  • (4) And, ironically, I couldn't mend it, as you'd smeared the last of your Copydex all over your hands while shouting: "I spunked up while watching Cagney & Lacey !"
  • (5) It's all about setting goals #NEDvsAUS June 18, 2014 4.40pm BST Brian Russell sees some Dutch in the Aussies, kind of: "I applaud the optimism and raging Aussie spunk of Jeremy Boyce and Johan van Slooten," he writes, "but all the facts points to a pretty comprehensive Dutch win today.
  • (6) And it makes SATC's bunny rabbit and "funky spunk" episodes look like Pillow Talk.
  • (7) Chances are their parents have already spunked everything they own.
  • (8) My recollection is, two days later we were playing a gig in Germany and we probably spunked it all on beer."
  • (9) Mom downplays most of the negatives I've written about, just like she did with unpleasantness when I was growing up, and she shows astonishing spunk in promoting the book.
  • (10) But it was never like, 'Let's spunk it on drugs and booze!'

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