when i turn ignition key half way, fuel pump comes on, but sometime, more often lately, when i turn key to full, to activate starter, nothing happens, meaning starter does nothing at all. it's intermittent but more frequent the past few times i started engine. thoughts? it's a V8 car but i think this is irrelevant. thanks. yesterday i did hose the engine area down to remove some oil buildup, maybe the hosed water is causing some of this ill effect?

The switches do go bad, but it may be just a poor connection or ground.
First check the yellow wire, small one on the starter. That us is sometime just a spade connector that gets dirty. Grounding straps from the tranny to the chassis are another poor spot. Some guys have run an additional ground from the battery to the starter too.