level and levy

There are two expressions which are confusingly close. One is to levy a charge against someone. The key word levy in this expression is borrowed from the French levée which in turn derives from the Latin levare to raise. It is all to do with raising taxes (charges) and dates back to the 1400s in British English when so many words to do with politics, law and government administration were borrowed from the French in the centuries following the Norman conquest. Raise in this sense does not mean to increase the tax but simply to enact it.

 The other expression is to level a charge against someone. In this case the image is from aiming a gun at someone, where you bring the gun to the level where it is pointed accurately at the person.  The charge is an accusation that is the gun to be pointed at the head of the person you have in your sights.

 It is clear that the chances of slipping from level to levy are very high, particularly because we have probably lost sight of the meaning of level in this expression so that it is a troubling blank.  Just waiting to be filled by the more acceptable levy!