Most of my top ones have been mentioned - lackadaisical, mischievous, literally, irregardless. One that hasn't been mentioned is so-called "beastiality". Even intelligent people bugger it up. It's another one of those words that you say correctly and people give you funny looks.
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Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
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Then and than are NOT interchangable words...and there is a plague of it occurring. Two different meanings completely. More of a pet peeve of mine than a misquote.
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Then and than are NOT interchangable words...and there is a plague of it occurring. Two different meanings completely. More of a pet peeve of mine than a misquote.
I have a friend who has a hotmail address than contains the word then, when the context means it should be than. It drives me crazy. He claims it was intentional, but I just don't buy it.
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Isn't it 4 syllables? I honestly thought it was...
Many people think that, but it is not the case. There is no letter "i" after the "v". It is pronounced as you would pronounce "grievous" or "heinous", as opposed to "devious".
I've heard it the wrong way from other people, on the TV, on the radio (even on CBC!) so it is not surprising that many get it wrong.
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I would be remiss if I did not mention how much it bugs me when Rob Kerr tries to sound smart and says 'remissed'.
I even sent him an email about it.
I laughed the other day when the guy filling in for Mike in the morning was interviewing Kerr and used the word correctly. I assume Rob did not notice.
I used to work with a guy (he was actually my boss for a short while) who just couldn't get a metaphor straight to save his life. He would butcher the English language and often over-use some particular words. It got to the point where I kept a log and sent it to some friends at work that also knew him. I'd call it the "Dave-ism du jour". Here's a few samples of his work:
-"It takes two to tangle." In fact, one is sufficient to tangle if it's long enough.
-"Enpronto" rather than "impromptu". It's likely he had no idea what either actually meant.
-The constant use of the word "pacific" instead of "specific". There's a *$%&ing 'S' at the beginning of the word you @%^*&%* #$*^!!!
-"Lord and behold". I don't know the origin of "lo and behold" but it wouldn't shock me if he unwittingly got it right.
-"I'd go 'google' from all the noise." Air quotes were used when uttering 'google'. I wonder what would make him 'yahoo'?
-"It seems we have the client double stick handling the relationship with the supplier." This is classic Dave. He would take two sayings, "double-handle" and "stick-handle", mash them together and ensure that neither made sense in the context of the rest of the sentence.
-"They're worth their salt in gold." That's a lot of salt, in case you're wondering.
-"Happiness is bliss." Okay, so does that mean ignorance is dumb and sadness is misery? Glad we got that sorted out.
-"Lacksadaisy..."
-"Don't keep me in suspenders." I'm not kidding, he said this.
-Here's one of Dave's very own GWB 'nucular' moments: "...compressure station" rather than "compressor station".
-"I have a physical responsibility to my client." Yes, if you're a hooker that's true. However, in his role he had a "fiscal" responsibility.
-"...wild and willy..." I presume he meant to say "wild and wooly" but I never asked because I was afraid he actually meant to say the "willy" part and got the "wild" part wrong.
I miss Dave.
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The of and to a in is I that it for you was with on as have but be they
Last edited by Red Slinger; 12-09-2010 at 08:23 AM.
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...Thing is, if no one ever uses it in the correct form does that mean that the incorrect form becomes the real meaning because of the evolution of language?
I think that this is an interesting question, and in many respects we must concede that what are currently misuses of language will eventually become acceptable idioms and eventually words.
The one that has always bothered me has become an almost unquestioned metaphor in modern English, despite the fact that it makes no contextual sense whatsoever.
I was watching a show last night in which one of the characters was signing a legal document, and was advised to put his "John Henry" on the dotted line. The phrase is so commonly used that it has almost completely eclipsed the original metaphor, "John Hancock". John Hancock was the president of Congress on the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed. Because of his very large and fanciful signature, it became a popular idiom in the United States to refer to one's signature synonymously as his "John Hancock".
Somewhere along the line, the sense of the original idiom was forgotten, and convenience and general laziness set in to the point that most people now refer metaphorically to one's signature as his "John Henry". John Henry was actually an American folk hero much like Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill. He is remembered for having been the strongest man alive, and was most prominently immortalized in Bill Monroes song "Nine Pound Hammer" as the Steel Drivin' Man. If there was ever a "John Henry", how ironic is it that he was most likely illiterate, and could not actually read or write?
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Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Somewhere along the line, the sense of the original idiom was forgotten, and convenience and general laziness set in to the point that most people now refer metaphorically to one's signature as his "John Henry". John Henry was actually an American folk hero much like John Bunyan or Pecos Bill. He is remembered for having been the strongest man alive, and was most prominently immortalized in Bill Monroes song "Nine Pound Hammer" as the Steel Drivin' Man. If there was ever a "John Henry", how ironic is it that he was most likely illiterate, and could not actually read or write?
Was that Paul Bunyan's little brother?
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So how do people pronounce "Wednesday". I've only ever heard people say WENS-DAY. Shouldn't it be pronouced WED-NES-DAY?
Much in the same way that the "h" sound has completely disappeared from our uses of such words as "where", "when", and "why". I remember being taught that their correct pronunciation was "Hw—".
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Much in the same way that the "h" sound has completely disappeared from our uses of such words as "where", "when", and "why". I remember being taught that their correct pronunciation was "Hw—".
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