Phrases or sayings that people get wrong

[Blackpool Rock]

My favourite quote from Tom Sharpe.s 'The Misadventures of Mr Wilt'[:

Inspector Flint: You're inferring we're all thick?
Henry Wilt: No, I'm IMPLYING you're all thick, you're inferring that that is what I'm IMPLYING.

Would have thought that there would have been a youtube clip of this with Mel Smith and Cliff Rhys Jones but couldn't find it.

Perhaps try searching for Griff Rhys Jones   

[advent2016]

My favourite quote from Tom Sharpe.s 'The Misadventures of Mr Wilt'[:

Inspector Flint: You're inferring we're all thick?
Henry Wilt: No, I'm IMPLYING you're all thick, you're inferring that that is what I'm IMPLYING.

Would have thought that there would have been a youtube clip of this with Mel Smith and Cliff Rhys Jones but couldn't find it.

It's on IMDB
External Link/Members Only

Clip
External Link/Members Only

[timsussex]

Sign seen today on a roundabout on a busy dual carriageway

XMAS TREES
JUST PASSED
THE GARAGE

[WASA38]

It's on IMDB
External Link/Members Only

Clip
External Link/Members Only

 

[Bonker]

I think you are suggesting its to do with the specific meaning of "choice" rather than an error in grammar? That choice just means making a decision among alternatives?

But I think actual usage has long ago established that choice can be used to mean a specific pick or exercising a particular option.

Well you have a choice. Either the option of being educated or sticking with your view.

Well punk, do you feel lucky?

[Ali Katt]

I found out that eating humble pie should in fact be umble pie, umble being deer offal.

[Ali Katt]

People who begin a sentence with a completely un-needed - "So"

Someone else mentioned the word "literally" being used out of context - We used to have a well educated & prolific N/E contributor on here who used to say that word a lot, but in the following context - "She was so beautiful, my jaw literally hit the floor"  - Hmmm 

For readability it is better than "she was superlatively beautiful, my jaw idiomatically hit the floor"

[jackdaw]

Well you have a choice. Either the option of being educated or sticking with your view.

Well punk, do you feel lucky?

Happy to be educated.

But all I've seen so far an "argument from authority"', people saying this is a grammatical error, rather than saying which rule of grammar is broken by saying "you have 2 choices"

The argument from authority is often weak, often mistaken.

[FLYING BLUE]

This took me all the way back to grammar school. There was a constant shortage of chairs... except for one classroom which always had it's full complement of seats, guarded by the resident form master.

Knock on door: "Please, sir, can I borrow a chair?"

"Yes"

A moment later: "where do you think you're going with that chair?"

"You said I could borrow a chair sir"

"Yes I did"

A second later:

"Stop! Put that chair back. I said you could borrow a chair. I did not say you may borrow it".

Light eventually dawns " Please, sir MAY I borrow a chair?"

"No. Now get out of my classroom and stop wasting my time"

Hahaha - that was very much like the school I attended (many moons ago)

[Bonker]

Happy to be educated.

But all I've seen so far an "argument from authority"', people saying this is a grammatical error, rather than saying which rule of grammar is broken by saying "you have 2 choices"

The argument from authority is often weak, often mistaken.

It's not a grammatical error. It's a misunderstanding of the meaning of choice.

[MrBamboo]

It's not a grammatical error. It's a misunderstanding of the meaning of choice.

I wonder why the Meryl Streep film wasnt called Sophie's Two Choices ? 

[jackdaw]

It's not a grammatical error. It's a misunderstanding of the meaning of choice.

Ah so all the posters who earlier claimed it was a grammatical error, were mistaken?

And…several modern dictionaries give one of the possible meanings of choice as “option”.
(Eg Merriam-Webster)

[MrBamboo]

Ah so all the posters who earlier claimed it was a grammatical error, were mistaken?

And…several modern dictionaries give one of the possible meanings of choice as “option”.
(Eg Merriam-Webster)

Exactly.. as from the beginning of the post, you have one choice of a number of options. Any
More than one and it's not a choice... 

[timsussex]

But shouldn't the thread be titled
Phrases or sayings that people misunderstand  or use incorrectly ?   

[MrBamboo]

But shouldn't the thread be titled
Phrases or sayings that people misunderstand  or use incorrectly ?   

Is that two choices ? 

[timsussex]

WASPI women - just what do they think the W stands for !
just like the sloppy use of PIN number

[juzz]

WASPI women - just what do they think the W stands for !
just like the sloppy use of PIN number

Or the HIV virus

[webpunter]

An Awank favourite - defiantly 

[webpunter]

Specific / pacific

[lostandfound]

Another example which amuses me is people beginning an answer to a question with "Yes, no,". Even highly educated and professional communicators and broadcasters.

But this and many other examples such as "So" at the beginning of a sentence can be seen as disfluencies - breaks in the flow of speech which are necessary to give the brains of both the speaker and listeners a chance to take a break and catch up.

AI developers are deliberately introducing these artefacts into generated speech as without them people find the content unlistenable.

[FLYING BLUE]

An Awank favourite - defiantly 

Ooh, the irony 

[StingRay]

Ooh, the irony 

.......... on a seperate note 

[Munter84]

Specific / pacific

Generally / genuinely

[Ali Katt]

Espresso / Expresso

[scutty brown]

Espresso / Expresso

doesn't matter how it's spelt (or spelled), it should be pronounced "rubbish".
It's a ruin of good coffee

[webpunter]

A bit like Del boy in Only Fools and Horses saying " the world's your lobster" instead of " the world's your oyster "

Del Boy - the Encyclopedia Britannica of hilarous deliberate mis-sayings
External Link/Members Only
 

[webpunter]

Northern monkeys have a tendency to get the following confused

lend / borrow
teach / learn
dinner / tea

[webpunter]

doesn't matter how it's spelt (or spelled), it should be pronounced "rubbish".
It's a ruin of good coffee

Are you a lover of Nescafé ?
Maybe a Latte, how metro-sexual
Try a ristretto, double

[Blackpool Rock]

Northern monkeys have a tendency to get the following confused

lend / borrow
teach / learn
dinner / tea

External Link/Members Only

[webpunter]

External Link/Members Only

  & there is a high probability that they spell tendency with an 'a'

[Blackpool Rock]

& there is a high probability that they spell tendency with an 'a'

Obviously it cuts both ways 

External Link/Members Only

[webpunter]

Obviously it cuts both ways 

External Link/Members Only

Southern fairy
Thats me when it comes to punting
No council estates - unless a reasonable % have become privately owned [at least can have a laarf at those who have cladding on the brickwork] + some research on google maps needed
No tower blocks - unless high end - council towers absolutely a non starter
In the south east shit holes like in south east & north east london dont even bother
Likewise cities like Bradford & Wales, other than nice parts of Cardiff [+ you have to pay on the bridge to enter, a joy to pay to leave]
Grimsby - dont be silly
HMOs - run
Leafy Surrey / South West London / Hampshire / West Sussex has its attractions even if a reasonably large % of my HL are elsewhere  hoping they go on tour

PS - didnt get my motor half inched when i stayed over in Blackpool on a bizzo troip
& went to External Link/Members Only for an epic soapy TW session in their jacuzzi suite - i reviewed
A win win

[Ali Katt]

Are you a lover of Nescafé ?
Maybe a Latte, how metro-sexual
Try a ristretto, double

[Strawberry]

Tow the line should be 'Toe the line'

Draw when it should be 'drawer'.

[robsmith149]

People who can't spell the word lose without putting an extra o in it.

[WASA38]

!Quite unique'.

Something is unique or it's not. No room for degrees of uniqueness.

[webpunter]

Use of the word 'personal / personally'
'In my personal opinion'
'I personally think' 
Usually said by thick fucks who have never heard of & don't have a scooby what tautology means
Or those trying to emphasize something not realising that are using an extra unecessary word making themselves look dense in the process
Sounds particularly bad in a brummie accent as it rolls off the tongue [any vague impression that they might not be thick evaporates]

Different if say a business / organisation / govt dept etc whereby if an issue that whoever it is saying it or being referred to by someone else
I will personally look into it / [he or she] will personally look into it, etc
Meaning that they supposedly won't just pass it down to some minion
[which indeed they will do, obvs]

[scutty brown]

Draw when it should be 'drawer'.

If you're talking of underwear, or chest of drawers, then "draw" or "draws" is arguably equally correct. The "draw" useage goes back a long time.
It's the same confusion as when people pronounce "drawing" as "drawring". To a large extent it's a regional accent issue which got standardised - presumably by Dr Johnson or one of his predecessors when they were compiling their lists of "correct" English. Though some studies of English suggest "drawr" is probably the older form.
Draw got standardised  in written form as drawer for some uses, but as draw for other uses - even though it was the same word with different uses, with the spoken versions following the written versions.
One of those occasions where trying to standardise the language actually broke it!
Would be interesting to know how Shakespeare would have said it!

[StingRay]

If you're talking of underwear, or chest of drawers, then "draw" or "draws" is arguably equally correct.
It's the same confusion as when people pronounce "drawing" as "drawring". To a large extent it's a regional accent issue which got standardised - presumably by Dr Johnson or one of his predecessors when they were compiling their lists of "correct" English. Though studies of English suggest "drawr" is the older form.
Draw got standardised  in written form as drawer for some uses, but as draw for other uses - even though it was the same word with different uses.
One of those occasions where trying to standardise the language actually broke it!
Would be interesting to know how Shakespeare would have said it!

"Odds bodkins" methinks!

[scutty brown]

Use of the word 'personal / personally'
'In my personal opinion'
'I personally think' 

But there are occasions when that word form is perfectly valid. For instance in a meeting where you are trying to note a difference of opionion between your own views, and those of a company or organisation you are representing.
For instance the company who you represent may have decided on a particular course of action in a negotiation, which in your personal opinion could be total bollocks.

[webpunter]

But there are occasions when that word form is perfectly valid. For instance in a meeting where you are trying to note a difference of opionion between your own views, and those of a company or organisation you are representing.
For instance the company who you represent may have decided on a particular course of action in a negotiation, which in your personal opinion could be total bollocks.

Indeed there are
& my 2nd paragraph detailed one example
You have added a 2nd & there will be more

However in a person-to-person question or posting on twitter / insta etc its easy for personally to creep in oh dear

[Bertiebeenthere]

Use of the word 'personal / personally'
'In my personal opinion'
'I personally think' 
Usually said by thick fucks who have never heard of & don't have a scooby what tautology means
Or those trying to emphasize something not realising that are using an extra unecessary word making themselves look dense in the process
Sounds particularly bad in a brummie accent as it rolls off the tongue [any vague impression that they might not be thick evaporates]

Different if say a business / organisation / govt dept etc whereby if an issue that whoever it is saying it or being referred to by someone else
I will personally look into it / [he or she] will personally look into it, etc
Meaning that they supposedly won't just pass it down to some minion
[which indeed they will do, obvs]

Some people when typing, use the space bar and then add the punctuation mark. Also, some ignore the squiggly red thing under misspelt word(s).

[mr.bluesky]

You'd never catch me doing that    .
 

[Ali Katt]

A real common one is Donkey's Years. The proper one is Donkey's Ears rhyming slang for Years.

[scutty brown]

A real common one is Donkey's Years. The proper one is Donkey's Ears rhyming slang for Years.

I know that's what the BBC claim, but I believe they are wrong.
"Donkey's years" is (or at least was) a common saying in parts of the country which never used rhyming slang, e.g. Somerset/Dorset, Lancashire among many others. First known use is 1876 in the Salisbury Times.
More likely related to the extended working age of some donkeys

[Stevelondon]

I know that's what the BBC claim, but I believe they are wrong.
"Donkey's years" is (or at least was) a common saying in parts of the country which never used rhyming slang, e.g. Somerset/Dorset, Lancashire among many others. First known use is 1876 in the Salisbury Times.
More likely related to the extended working age of some donkeys

Fully agree. I’ve used the term many times in here and I certainly was not brought up in an area that used rhyming slang.
In fact I’ve lived most of my life doon here in the Smoke and hardly ever hear it.
Yes yes………. I have didn’t time in the east end before anyone asks.

[Thephoenix]

I know that's what the BBC claim, but I believe they are wrong.
"Donkey's years" is (or at least was) a common saying in parts of the country which never used rhyming slang, e.g. Somerset/Dorset, Lancashire among many others. First known use is 1876 in the Salisbury Times.
More likely related to the extended working age of some donkeys

Definitely a common saying in Liverpool (Lancashire) for donkey's years, and a phrase I still commonly use.

[Stevelondon]

!Quite unique'.

Something is unique or it's not. No room for degrees of uniqueness.

I’ve often wondered when people say things like “She was very beautiful” or “She was particularly beautiful”

Does that make the beautiful woman somehow differently beautiful.

[Thephoenix]

I'm getting more and more anxious about all these posts.
Are we going to sit a written examination at the end?
I'm going for a lie down.

[StingRay]

A real common one is Donkey's Years. The proper one is Donkey's Ears rhyming slang for Years.

Now I'm confused as I've been told that I'm hung like a donkey, but my ears are quite small!