I noticed that many writers/people make this mistake. I was proofreading a client’s work recently and noticed this, yet again: WHET for WET and WET for WHET.
• Now, “to whet your appetite” is “to sharpen your desire for food or arouse your interest or eagerness for something”.
Examples:
• His saying that whets my appetite for Fufu and Egusi soup.
• Lionel Messi keeps whetting my appetite to play football.
• Quincy’s first performance whetted my appetite; I hope he performs again.
• “To wet your whistle” on the other hand is “to have a drink, especially of alcohol”. Here, whistle is a metaphor for the mouth itself, so ‘wet’ is the right word.
Examples:
• I’m dehydrated, I need to wet my whistle before we continue.
• I know a perfect place for you to wet your whistle.
• It’s best you wet your whistle at Diddie’s restaurant.
• Funnily enough, TO WET YOUR WHISTLE can also be “to suit one’s taste”.
Examples:
• I like thick girls; they wet my whistle, but my big brother prefers slim girls.
• I love that Jeep, it really wets my whistle.
So an appetite cannot be made physically wet, making ‘whet’ the appropriate term.
Thanks for reading. I hope this helps.