honing in
Getting increasingly closer
Honing in means focusing or zeroing in on something: Police are honing in on a suspect.
This phrase is widely considered a mistake for "homing in," which uses the metaphor of a homing pigeon or missile finding its target.
But honing in has become common enough that some accept it as a variant, perhaps influenced by the idea of sharpening one's focus.
Careful writers still prefer homing in.
- zeroing inProgressively targeting something specific
- aimingDirecting toward target
- directingOverseeing a production
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- concentrationSustained single-minded attention
narrowing down · homing · locking on · practice · fine-tuning · dialing in · exactitude · targeting · calibrating · pursuing · pinpointing · refinement · meticulousness · specificity · drilling down · perfecting · clarity · orienting
- focusfocus, concentration, attention, focal point, concentrate
- highlightingemphasizing, stressing, underscoring, accenting, accentuating
- attentionattention, focus, focused, attentiveness, focused attention
- Focus Termssharp, blurry, hazy, fuzzy, clear
honing inlosing focus
Inability to concentrate
scattering · dispersing · diverging · defocusing · diffusing
honing inwandering aimlessly
Moving without purpose or goal
drifting · meandering · roaming · rambling · straying
honing inpulling away
Increasing gap from others
retreating · withdrawing · backing off · moving away · distancing