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Thread poster: Tom in London
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Dec 9, 2017

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/most-misused-phrases-words-english-language-uk-revealed-to-be-pacific-a8098791.html


Add your own. Here are a few I often come across:

on mass (for "en masse")
on route (for "en route")
spinning in his grave (for "turning in his gr
... See more
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/most-misused-phrases-words-english-language-uk-revealed-to-be-pacific-a8098791.html


Add your own. Here are a few I often come across:

on mass (for "en masse")
on route (for "en route")
spinning in his grave (for "turning in his grave")

[Edited at 2017-12-09 09:23 GMT]
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Jennifer Forbes
Jennifer Forbes  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:24
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
So many! Dec 9, 2017

Some I frequently hear or see:

Irregardless

Disinterested (true meaning "impartial, unbiassed" but thought to mean "not interested"). These days misused as often as correctly used, especially by Americans.

More rarely seen or heard:

Anti-secticide (would that be a product which gets rid of insecticide?)


 
Oliver Walter
Oliver Walter  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
German to English
+ ...
Exasperating? Dec 9, 2017

Would this count as one? - I sometimes hear people talk about a situation being exasperated (e.g. on a phone-in radio programme a couple of weeks ago) when the correct word is 'exacerbated' (i.e. made worse). There are a few more but I don't remember them right now.

Would it also be relevant (perhaps a separate topic) to list some words which are completely misused? e.g. "infinitely" when the intended meaning is only "greatly", and "crescendo" when the intended meaning is "climax".
... See more
Would this count as one? - I sometimes hear people talk about a situation being exasperated (e.g. on a phone-in radio programme a couple of weeks ago) when the correct word is 'exacerbated' (i.e. made worse). There are a few more but I don't remember them right now.

Would it also be relevant (perhaps a separate topic) to list some words which are completely misused? e.g. "infinitely" when the intended meaning is only "greatly", and "crescendo" when the intended meaning is "climax". Another one: people sometimes talk of something "mitigating against" a problem, but they mean "militating against" it.

[Edited at 2017-12-09 10:18 GMT]
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Daniel Frisano
Daniel Frisano  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 09:24
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English to Italian
+ ...
From a real conversation Dec 9, 2017

A: Frankly, I don't think that this is the right thing to do.
B: Who's Franklin?


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:24
Spanish to English
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More examples from real life.... Dec 9, 2017

"I was bolivious of all the problems he was going through."

"I found the man in the corner of the room, curled up in a fecal position."


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Same Dec 9, 2017

Robert Forstag wrote:

"I was bolivious of all the problems he was going through."

"I found the man in the corner of the room, curled up in a fecal position."


Sounds like the same man - bulimic and fecal.

[Edited at 2017-12-09 12:59 GMT]


 
JaredK
JaredK
Australia
Local time: 19:24
Chinese to English
A lot of allot Dec 9, 2017

The most common issue I see is people writing "allot" (to distribute between or among) instead of "a lot"

Jared Kirkwood
NAATI 90003
Translation Bound
www.translationbound.com.au


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:24
Danish to English
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Tow the line and more Dec 9, 2017

I would of thought “tow the line”, one of the Daily Telegraph’s favourites, should be added to that list. Then there is “beg the question”, which contemporary journalists are generally incapable of using right, instead misusing it in the meaning “raise the question”.

Such errors in the press can negatively effect reader’s writing skills.

Many Americans have thrown the logic out of “couldn’t care less”, often saying “could care less�
... See more
I would of thought “tow the line”, one of the Daily Telegraph’s favourites, should be added to that list. Then there is “beg the question”, which contemporary journalists are generally incapable of using right, instead misusing it in the meaning “raise the question”.

Such errors in the press can negatively effect reader’s writing skills.

Many Americans have thrown the logic out of “couldn’t care less”, often saying “could care less” when they mean the opposite.

(All the errors are deliberate)
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
hmmm Dec 9, 2017

Thomas T. Frost wrote:

contemporary journalists are generally incapable of using right..


Maybe they're using it left.


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:24
Danish to English
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Right Dec 9, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

Thomas T. Frost wrote:

contemporary journalists are generally incapable of using right..


Maybe they're using it left.


Right, that's a possibility not to be left out.

In any case they have left the original meaning behind.


 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:24
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
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Incorrect use of Dec 9, 2017

"beg the question".

 
Joshua Parker
Joshua Parker
Mexico
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Member (2016)
Spanish to English
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another think coming Dec 9, 2017

One example that comes to mind is "you've got another thing coming" (instead of "think").

Growing up, I always used to say "thing", until one day, much to my surprise, I was corrected.

I'm aware that "thing" is probably more common now, though - and it makes sense.


 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:24
Japanese to English
+ ...
mispronounced words Dec 9, 2017

And what about
"devil-makes-hair" and
"ease-drop" ?


 
MollyRose
MollyRose  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:24
English to Spanish
+ ...
actual experiences Dec 10, 2017

I used to say "gerarium" until one day I saw one in a box with the correct word, "terrarium." "Makes sense," I thought. "Terra for earth or dirt!" I'm not sure if I had heard it mispronounced, or it just sounded like that.

I also would ask for palapeño cornbread at the cafeteria because that's how my mother pronounced it (it might have just sounded like it, but then it's also very possible that she did pronounce it that way). When I finally saw the word "jalapeño" in writing,
... See more
I used to say "gerarium" until one day I saw one in a box with the correct word, "terrarium." "Makes sense," I thought. "Terra for earth or dirt!" I'm not sure if I had heard it mispronounced, or it just sounded like that.

I also would ask for palapeño cornbread at the cafeteria because that's how my mother pronounced it (it might have just sounded like it, but then it's also very possible that she did pronounce it that way). When I finally saw the word "jalapeño" in writing, of course I corrected myself, also feeling a little silly.

This one still makes me laugh: A man once told me that I was pretty and boutique!
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:24
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Having your cake Dec 10, 2017

I was once told by an Englishwoman that she had spent some time in France living in a gateau.

 
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The 30 most commonly mispronounced phrases in English - to all intensive purposes






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