Chisels and plane irons must be sharpened by using an oilstone or waterstone. What word best completes the sentence?

Chisels and plane irons must be sharpened by using an oilstone or waterstone. What word best completes the sentence?

• A. Honed
• B. Whetted
• C. Grinded
• D. Polished

Answer: (B)

Sharpening blades with a whetstone is all about the action of whetting — to whet means to sharpen the edge using a sharpening stone. Oilstones and waterstones are types of whetstones, so the natural way to describe the result of using them is that the blades have been whetted. The other options don’t fit as well: honed implies a finishing sharpening step and isn’t as directly tied to the action of using a whetstone; grinding isn’t the correct past participle in standard usage, and polishing suggests smoothing rather than creating a sharp edge.

Sharpening blades with a whetstone is all about the action of whetting — to whet means to sharpen the edge using a sharpening stone. Oilstones and waterstones are types of whetstones, so the natural way to describe the result of using them is that the blades have been whetted. The other options don’t fit as well: honed implies a finishing sharpening step and isn’t as directly tied to the action of using a whetstone; grinding isn’t the correct past participle in standard usage, and polishing suggests smoothing rather than creating a sharp edge.