Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Commonly Misused Phrases

Let's have some fun today. Here's a list of commonly misused phrases and what the correct phrase should be.

If you've used the phrase on the left, uh-oh, better get it right next time!




















































Uh-OhYes, Please
It's a pigment of your imaginationIt's a figment (imagined story) of your imagination.
It's a mute point.It's a moot (of little practical value) point. (Of course, if you're Joey Tribbiani, the point is moo.)
That's a bold-faced lie.Nope, sorry, it's a bald-faced lie. (For the history of this phrase, see http://i.cx/1hn)
We need collaborating evidence.You more likely need corroborating (confirming) evidence.
It's a doggy-dog world out there.I don't know where you live, but where I live it's a dog-eat-dog world.
She's just a font of wisdom.If she's that smart, she's a fount (fountain or spring) of wisdom. Leave the fonts (typefaces) to us publishers.
Let's hone in on the problem.I'd much rather home (to navigate) in on it, thank you very much.
He must be lack toast and tolerant.Are you kidding me? If you've said this, just go home now.
Don't let your jealousy reel its ugly head.Hey, now, jealousies don't reel, they rear.
She scarred the heck out of me!If she burned you or cut you up with a razor, then surely she did scar (cause lasting tissue damage) the heck out of you. But I'll bet she just scared (afraid) the heck out of you.
He tripped over a wheel barrel.Aaaaaaaaaaargh! NO! He tripped over a wheelbarrow. People, people, do you never go to a Home Depot?


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5 comments:

  1. What about "Let's play it by year"? I know someone who argued with me incessantly that it was correct. I've always known it as "Let's play it by ear," which is kind of a strange expression.

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  2. It wasn't me, right? No, couldn't have been. Well, as you know, my daughter, it is indeed "play it by ear," which refers to some musicians--mostly pianists, I believe--who can hear something once and then play it, literally playing it by "ear."

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  3. Dad, you are so smart. No it wasn't you- it was someone I knew in college. One of my pet peeves is "same difference." What's your opinion on that one?

    I'm sorry but the card says "Moops."

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  4. Grammatically, "same difference" is perfectly acceptable when used to refer to two instances of a single "difference." But when used in general parlance it's just kinda stupid.

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