Taking a peek

Or peak. Or pique.

A peak is a mountain top. Or it can be something that rises up like a mountain top, such as the peaks of meringue atop a banana cream pie.

A peek is a quick, often furtive look, or something that we catch only a glimpse of.

A pique is a snit or a fit of resentment. Or it can be a feeling of curiosity, a reaction to a hint.

… but peak under its skirts and there was a seedy underbelly…

Since we’re taking a quick look, it’s a peek under Wickerton Hollow’s skirts.

Tattoos peaked out of his collar…

Since we’re not seeing an entire tattoo, only getting a glimpse, the tattoos peeked from under the collar.

The sun was up, peaking through the drawn curtains.

It’s not a full view, only a sliver — so therefore the sun is peeking.

A thin line of light peaked between the hotel curtains…

Nope. The light peeked.

Normally, Aunt Maxi’s actions didn’t peek my interest….

Aunt Maxi’s actions usually cause curiosity — so her actions pique the narrator’s interest. Or in this case, not.

And her curiosity was peaked.

It’s true that curiosity can rise to the level of mountaintops — but it’s still piqued, not peaked.

Interesting, however, that The Snarky Editor hasn’t yet run across a mountain peek… though she does enjoy peeking at mountaintops.

The Snarky Editor comes out of hiding occasionally to comment on the awkward, silly, and sometimes hilarious editing errors found in published books.

#snarkyeditor #everybodyneedsaneditor

Leigh Michaels is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, including historical and contemporary romance, non-fiction books about writing, and local history. More than 35 million copies of her books are in print in 27 languages and more than 120 countries. She is also a writing coach and book editor, though she promises to be snarky only in regard to published books.

To find out more, check out https://leighmichaels.com