No one was born perfect when it comes to language. We say one thing when we mean entirely another. We mix up words, add endings, and pretend it’s all fine. Well, not quite.
You see, even though some phrases roll off the tip of the tongue as if they were almost identical, it doesn’t mean they are. From hunger pains to hunger pangs and sleight of hand to slight of hand, there are too many common phrases that are way more confusing than they really should be.
So this time, we’re gonna look at the most common mistakes we make when using these phrases, and hopefully, learn something that would have made our English teachers proud.
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We all have that one phrase or two (or too many) that pop into the conversations we have with people. These go-to expressions surely add some style to whatever we’re saying unless they’re used the wrong way.
But the more we use them, the more unaware we become of these repetitive language slip-ups. And honestly, our interlocutors are often unaware of the fact as well. Think of how many times you've heard someone say “I could care less.” In fact, this means the exact opposite as meant by the right usage “I couldn’t care less.”
Other common phrases people confuse very often are “tongue and cheek” (should be tongue in cheek), “for all intensive purposes” (should be “for all intents and purposes”), “another thing coming” (the right way is “another think coming.”)
The word "buck" refers to a male native american indian. The phrase "buck naked" comes from the fact that back in the early days (pre 1900) male indians would be seen riding their horses to a river or stream to bathe or do what ever, and would be totally naked on the horse. White people would see them and thus the phrase "Buck naked" was born.
Finally. Thank you. AMEN. English isn't my family's first language on one side, and I've spent a lifetime explaining these things. I feel so happy I'm not alone....
Even though the misused phrases may be annoying to some sharp-eared listeners, they are never harmful or intentional.
But there are some common phrases that can never work in any conversation and they can definitely turn your encounter sour. For example, saying “you look good for your age,” “this might sound stupid, but…” or “you’re so…” this and that, can be interpreted in a bad way.
So in the end, it’s never really about language and grammar, but rather the content and the way you say it that really matters in a fruitful and pleasant conversation.
Ever see my mom after an espresso? EXpresso ain't a bad description...
The term has nothing to do with the Scotts. It comes from old Scandinavian 'skatt fri', which means 'tax free'.
This one is misleading though because they are pronounced the same way. If you're saying them at least.
Gets confusing when you get possessive. My brother-in-law's car is the car belonging to my brother-in-law, but what would you say for all the cars belonging to multiple brothers-in-law? My brothers-in-law's cars?
Yeah, it was just a joke, I don't speak any Latin languages :)
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A lot of people online seem to be unable to correctly use superlatives.
Pangs is archaic, but yes, that's the conventional usage. Frankly, I've been hungry enough to hurt. It is not a pang. It was pain.
In Greece we say "one is worse than the other" when everything is bad and you can't tell which is worse
No it doesn't. The OED says: 1. Originally in Law, of a case, issue, etc.: proposed for discussion at a moot (moot n.1 4). Later also gen.: open to argument, debatable; uncertain, doubtful; unable to be firmly resolved. Frequently in moot case, moot point.
This is part of the phrase "make do and mend", meaning things are used in their current state or you mend them only sufficiently to make them work, nothing is replaced by new - usually used in reference to being poor.
And the hooks on a tenter are literally tenterhooks. There don't seem to be any phrases for teasels, but they are the seedheads of plant that were used to tease the wool. Together they form the coat of arms for Kendal, which is a town in Northern England which once had a thriving wool trade.
'Spitting image' is in the Oxford Dictionary. It's correct even if 'spit and image' is the original usage.
Who in the name of all that's holy ever said "Pass mustard" except at a cookout?
It being used instead of sympathy when people don't understand but are sorry for the person's plight.
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'Fine-toothed comb' is often used incorrectly as a 'fine tooth comb' or even as 'tooth comb'
Oh, yes. That one is irritating. I see it in published novels and wonder who the hell was editing. Grrrr 🤬
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I love good grammar. Can’t help but cringe when words are used incorrectly.
I completely agree. https://photos.app.goo.gl/brzaVqwtnhEohecb6
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Somewhere, my English teachers are rejoicing. And scolding. And rejoicing.
A more subtle one that drives me nuts: when talking about someone facing a dilemma, people will say "He had to choose between (good thing) and (bad thing)." Um, that's not a dilemma - just choose the good thing!! For it to be a dilemma, the choice has to be between two good things (only one of which you can have) or two BAD things (only one of which you can avoid). For instance, some program I watched said "...he was forced to choose between defending his life's work and betraying his protege." That'd be an easy one - defend your life's work INSTEAD OF betraying your protege. What they MEANT was "he was forced to choose between defending his life's work and being loyal to his protege."
Another classic from {mostly} americans is 'voila', so many spell it like they try to pronounce it, Wa La, So wrong !
Yes!! The first time I heard this was on a commercial and I was so surprised.
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I used to Beta read fanfiction so I think I've seen all the incorrect versions of these at some point.
I barely know the difference between week and weak so this rlly helped lol
Why do people keep commenting "easy" on my comments? Can anyone else help me on that?
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This comments section passed the vibe check more than any other I’ve seen. Good job, y’all.
Lol maybe for most, but anything I say is getting downvoted. Even my comment on "eat ur cake" it's a really bully mentality here. I might just quit this site I'm tired of bots posting and bullies downvoting those who disagree no matter how they try to defend themselves. Passed ur vibe check but the vibes I'm getting are telling me pandas want me gone. So bye y'all.
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I only found two I might have used the wrong version of, and english itsn't my first language. That being said, I rarely use ANY of there, correct or incorrect
I imagine it’s easier to avoid making these mistakes if you were taught the correct way before picking up on the wrong way. Native speakers don’t get that.
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Apologies if someone already covered this, but... the one that makes me nuts is when someone refers to a modified car, for example, as “souped up.” WTF? You added chicken soup to it, did you now? You meant “suped up” as in rendered super-duper by virtue of the application of superior enhancements.
How about “show stopper” being used negatively, to imply that a project will be stopped, when the correct meaning of “show stopper” is actually positive, i.e. the highlight of the show. This may be peculiar to second language English European corporations.
Duck tape! Don’t know why they think it has something to do with ducks. It’s “duct” to wrap around joins and seal ducts.....
That might be because there is a brand of duct tape called Duck Tape here in the UK.. it really adds to the confusion haha
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As a Russian, I mostly use English in written form, so it was really interesting to know the incorrect versions too :)
My favorite is when people say a difficult action or scenario is a "tough road to hoe." It is actually, of course, "row to hoe," but it is technically HARDER to hoe a road than a row in a graden.
I say a long row to hoe. Is that wrong? Or can it be both a tough row to hoe and a long row to hoe?
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These are all good. Mock my words, I have seen them all. However, I was somewhat disappointed not to see strait-laced/strait jacket and camaraderie, not comradery.
If you liked this post, then you will also enjoy this list of 100 EGGCORNS (that was a new word for me) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2090909-eggcorns.html
That list was well worth the read. Thank you! And anyone who has read Winnie-the-Pooh knows that the word is “haycorns” and not eggcorns. 😉
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I cringe when I hear the comparative and superlative misused on BBC Radio 4... every day I hear at least an example or two. I think a lot of mistakes in the use of language is due to laziness and the promulgation of poor habits...
I am honestly struggling to believe that somehow, the more prevalent misunderstanding between the antonyms entitled and self-entitled does not appear on this list.
"Sooner than later" is the one that drives me nuts. It's "sooner *rather* than later"!
This maybe goes to show that people don't read as much anymore, so the words get passed orally, hence the mistakes (mostly similar phonetically). I learned English as a foreign language from the age of 15, so mainly in books and grammars, so I actually knew most of the correct answers here (not to brag ;) just to prove my point of "oral" vs "written" learning)
People who say ‘third world problems’ instead of ‘first world problems’.
He cut off his nose to spite his face is one I use a lot to describe people who are passive aggressive...because it's an excellent description of passive aggression. Most people have no idea what I'm saying, and one friend thought I meant Despite instead of 'to spite'. A lot of the confusion comes from years of being miss heard, also from learning disorders like dyslexia. 1 in 5 people are dyslexic, I'm one of them, so some of those I've messed up. I love things like this which help me correct my knowledge.
It drives me nuts when I hear people say "whenever I came here" or "whenever I was 5". WHEN!!! It's "when I came here" and "when I was 5"
Only number 12 for me, although it's a word I don't think I've ever used in full, referring instead to expats. And shoo-in is a word I've never used or heard used either..
More stupider... that’s grammatically incorrect and stupider isn’t a word. Unless you’re being ironic?
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Many are the result of mishearing someone who didn't speak clearly. This can easily happen even with native speakers let alone those learning English as a second language.
It's actually often the other way around, since learners usually see things written first and then learn how to pronounce it and for native speakers it is the other way around.
Load More Replies... My pet peeve is when people use "draws" instead of "drawers" (like: 2nd hand IKEA drawers on sale...)
Dear fellow Panda's before making declarative statement about the existence of eggcorns based on ones own personal experience please consider doing a quick google books ngram search you may discover something unexpected... like the fact "Bored Panda" has not appeared anywhere in the google library or boring cocktail factoids like the word bored appeared in the text consistently more than the word panda until 1980.
I think half of these were just made up! I think there are more annoying errors, like "supposably" and "irregardless".
Which are the ones that have changed over time? Not sure I saw any bar maybe the US buck/butt naked I suppose but us Brits don't use that (no Brit has a butt, we have bums or arses!). I think that there may be quite a few differences in usage depending on your country. I've never heard anyone in the UK say 'I could care less' instead of 'I couldn't care less'. That one seems to be a US tweak. Some I don't think would matter terribly - expresso/espresso. You'd still be asking for the same coffee, it's not like an expression where the actual meaning is altered completely.
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Actually there are a lot of rules and words have to be used for either a long time or ian ntense amount to become established and the original still stays as accepted.
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It means you can't eat a cake and continue to possess that cake once you've consumed it so I am afraid you have misunderstood the intent of the expression.
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Not all entries were bad of course there were a few good ones, but a lot of erroneous ones
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It being used instead of sympathy when people don't understand but are sorry for the person's plight.
Load More Replies... 'Fine-toothed comb' is often used incorrectly as a 'fine tooth comb' or even as 'tooth comb'
Oh, yes. That one is irritating. I see it in published novels and wonder who the hell was editing. Grrrr 🤬
Load More Replies... I love good grammar. Can’t help but cringe when words are used incorrectly.
I completely agree. https://photos.app.goo.gl/brzaVqwtnhEohecb6
Load More Replies... Somewhere, my English teachers are rejoicing. And scolding. And rejoicing.
A more subtle one that drives me nuts: when talking about someone facing a dilemma, people will say "He had to choose between (good thing) and (bad thing)." Um, that's not a dilemma - just choose the good thing!! For it to be a dilemma, the choice has to be between two good things (only one of which you can have) or two BAD things (only one of which you can avoid). For instance, some program I watched said "...he was forced to choose between defending his life's work and betraying his protege." That'd be an easy one - defend your life's work INSTEAD OF betraying your protege. What they MEANT was "he was forced to choose between defending his life's work and being loyal to his protege."
Another classic from {mostly} americans is 'voila', so many spell it like they try to pronounce it, Wa La, So wrong !
Yes!! The first time I heard this was on a commercial and I was so surprised.
Load More Replies... I used to Beta read fanfiction so I think I've seen all the incorrect versions of these at some point.
I barely know the difference between week and weak so this rlly helped lol
Why do people keep commenting "easy" on my comments? Can anyone else help me on that?
Load More Replies... This comments section passed the vibe check more than any other I’ve seen. Good job, y’all.
Lol maybe for most, but anything I say is getting downvoted. Even my comment on "eat ur cake" it's a really bully mentality here. I might just quit this site I'm tired of bots posting and bullies downvoting those who disagree no matter how they try to defend themselves. Passed ur vibe check but the vibes I'm getting are telling me pandas want me gone. So bye y'all.
Load More Replies... I only found two I might have used the wrong version of, and english itsn't my first language. That being said, I rarely use ANY of there, correct or incorrect
I imagine it’s easier to avoid making these mistakes if you were taught the correct way before picking up on the wrong way. Native speakers don’t get that.
Load More Replies... Apologies if someone already covered this, but... the one that makes me nuts is when someone refers to a modified car, for example, as “souped up.” WTF? You added chicken soup to it, did you now? You meant “suped up” as in rendered super-duper by virtue of the application of superior enhancements.
How about “show stopper” being used negatively, to imply that a project will be stopped, when the correct meaning of “show stopper” is actually positive, i.e. the highlight of the show. This may be peculiar to second language English European corporations.
Duck tape! Don’t know why they think it has something to do with ducks. It’s “duct” to wrap around joins and seal ducts.....
That might be because there is a brand of duct tape called Duck Tape here in the UK.. it really adds to the confusion haha
Load More Replies... As a Russian, I mostly use English in written form, so it was really interesting to know the incorrect versions too :)
My favorite is when people say a difficult action or scenario is a "tough road to hoe." It is actually, of course, "row to hoe," but it is technically HARDER to hoe a road than a row in a graden.
I say a long row to hoe. Is that wrong? Or can it be both a tough row to hoe and a long row to hoe?
Load More Replies... These are all good. Mock my words, I have seen them all. However, I was somewhat disappointed not to see strait-laced/strait jacket and camaraderie, not comradery.
If you liked this post, then you will also enjoy this list of 100 EGGCORNS (that was a new word for me) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2090909-eggcorns.html
That list was well worth the read. Thank you! And anyone who has read Winnie-the-Pooh knows that the word is “haycorns” and not eggcorns. 😉
Load More Replies... I cringe when I hear the comparative and superlative misused on BBC Radio 4... every day I hear at least an example or two. I think a lot of mistakes in the use of language is due to laziness and the promulgation of poor habits...
I am honestly struggling to believe that somehow, the more prevalent misunderstanding between the antonyms entitled and self-entitled does not appear on this list.
"Sooner than later" is the one that drives me nuts. It's "sooner *rather* than later"!
This maybe goes to show that people don't read as much anymore, so the words get passed orally, hence the mistakes (mostly similar phonetically). I learned English as a foreign language from the age of 15, so mainly in books and grammars, so I actually knew most of the correct answers here (not to brag ;) just to prove my point of "oral" vs "written" learning)
People who say ‘third world problems’ instead of ‘first world problems’.
He cut off his nose to spite his face is one I use a lot to describe people who are passive aggressive...because it's an excellent description of passive aggression. Most people have no idea what I'm saying, and one friend thought I meant Despite instead of 'to spite'. A lot of the confusion comes from years of being miss heard, also from learning disorders like dyslexia. 1 in 5 people are dyslexic, I'm one of them, so some of those I've messed up. I love things like this which help me correct my knowledge.
It drives me nuts when I hear people say "whenever I came here" or "whenever I was 5". WHEN!!! It's "when I came here" and "when I was 5"
Only number 12 for me, although it's a word I don't think I've ever used in full, referring instead to expats. And shoo-in is a word I've never used or heard used either..
More stupider... that’s grammatically incorrect and stupider isn’t a word. Unless you’re being ironic?
Load More Replies... Many are the result of mishearing someone who didn't speak clearly. This can easily happen even with native speakers let alone those learning English as a second language.
It's actually often the other way around, since learners usually see things written first and then learn how to pronounce it and for native speakers it is the other way around.
Load More Replies... My pet peeve is when people use "draws" instead of "drawers" (like: 2nd hand IKEA drawers on sale...)
Dear fellow Panda's before making declarative statement about the existence of eggcorns based on ones own personal experience please consider doing a quick google books ngram search you may discover something unexpected... like the fact "Bored Panda" has not appeared anywhere in the google library or boring cocktail factoids like the word bored appeared in the text consistently more than the word panda until 1980.
I think half of these were just made up! I think there are more annoying errors, like "supposably" and "irregardless".
Which are the ones that have changed over time? Not sure I saw any bar maybe the US buck/butt naked I suppose but us Brits don't use that (no Brit has a butt, we have bums or arses!). I think that there may be quite a few differences in usage depending on your country. I've never heard anyone in the UK say 'I could care less' instead of 'I couldn't care less'. That one seems to be a US tweak. Some I don't think would matter terribly - expresso/espresso. You'd still be asking for the same coffee, it's not like an expression where the actual meaning is altered completely.
Load More Replies... Actually there are a lot of rules and words have to be used for either a long time or ian ntense amount to become established and the original still stays as accepted.
Load More Replies... It means you can't eat a cake and continue to possess that cake once you've consumed it so I am afraid you have misunderstood the intent of the expression.
Load More Replies... Not all entries were bad of course there were a few good ones, but a lot of erroneous ones
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