Fun Fact

Though often confused with “wet,” whet has nothing to do with water—it’s about sharpening or arousing. A whetstone sharpens blades, and something that whets your appetite makes you eager for more. The word survives mostly in this idiomatic sense, a linguistic echo of its physical origin. In both uses, whet describes that moment of anticipation or readiness—when the edge is honed, but the action hasn’t yet begun.