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Common sayings that are commonly misstated

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#63
Here is why "I could care less" makes no sense:

caring.png
 
#66
"Lead on, MacDuff!" It's "Lay on, MacDuff". MacBeth was challenging MacDuff to a duel to the death, not asking him to dance.

I once had a nice lady type a term paper for me. She proudly reported that she had put all the apostrophes in my uses of possessive "its".

My current pet peeve is using the comparative with "unique" as in "His bass playing was very unique".
 
#68
Things that leave me shaking my head are:

There seems to be a trend towards people refering to themselves multiple times such as "I myself personally...." or some such phrase.

Then there are people who inexplicably conjoin yes and no. They may say something like "yeah, no, that's a good idea". Well what is it? Yes or No.

Then there's the irritating "Like"

"We were all, like, going to London and like going to like different pubs and like drinking like a lot"...so did you actually do it or was it a simulation exercise that was somewhat like doing it for real?
 
#70
BigOkie said:
"have your cake and eat it too". That makes no sense whatsoever. Now, eat your cake and have it too--that's an accomplishment!
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I think that has something to do with Marie Antoinette's famous and rather insensitive quip about the poor during the French revolution, when the poor were protesting about not being able to afford bread, and she said "Let them eat cake".
 
#71
Chainsaw Willie said:
It all comes from people not taking the effort to pick out the words that actually express their thoughts and feelings. It is easier to just plug-in a generic verbal multi-purpose black-box than it is to build-up an idea from scrach. (hoo boy! I am doing it myself!)

Already mentioned many times; "I could care less". Perhaps they meant to use "I couldn't care less" but what they usually mean is "I DO care and I HATE it." I would be so much better if they just said "I hate this" instead of spewing a cliche meaning "I don't care".

If you want a reader or listener to really understand your meaning, it is best to avoid all "expressions", "sayings", cliche, idioms, and instead actually find your own words.
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True 'dat. :smug:
 
#72
MatticusMania said:
'At wits end' is actually correct. It means to be at the end of ones wit. Though, I see how 'at wicks end' could make some sense, it wouldnt apply to such a situation where one is at the end of their wit, rather it would mean something more akin to one running out of time, as if the wick has burnt to its end.

http://www.goenglish.com/AtWitsEnd.asp
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Oh thank goodness, that was the only one I actually use and was surprised to hear that it was "wrong" - at wit's end makes literal sense to me.
 
#77
#79
birdman14 said:
Actually, not to be rude, but I believe both examples you gave are actually correct. Dove is the past tense of dive, such as "We dove into the pool to get away from the bass solo". It is the same with hung, past tense of hang, like "they hung the guitarist for saying he thinks the band should play mustang sally".
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American vs British English. Americans use "dove", Brits use "Dived". The struggle continues...
 
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