# Commonly Misunderstood/Misused Words or Phrases **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922 "2005-12-16T15:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/81 "2014-06-23T21:01:51Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Is it “worse comes to worst” or “worst comes to worst?” > > I want to know so I can haughtily correct those who get it ‘wrong.’ The first one. Think “bad goes to worse” and go from there. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/82 "2014-06-24T02:07:29Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Ratchet is a wrench. > > Retched is the past tense of retch, which is to vomit. > > Wretched is a miserable individual. And Ratched was a wretched wench. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/83 "2014-06-25T03:31:43Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Agreed that it’s not a crime to end a sentence with a preposition. But while the words at the end of your examples can be and often are prepositions, they’re not used as such in your examples. Each is an adverb in this case. Don’t even think about getting into a grammar argument with me. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/84 "2014-08-14T16:14:58Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Don’t even think about getting into a grammar argument with me. Yeah, he was in the wrong. Two of those three examples (#1 and #3) are adjectives, not adverbs. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/85 "2014-09-08T21:10:04Z")
Hear this one a lot…when something doesn’t make sense or isn’t in accord with something else, it doesn’t _jibe_, not _jive_. My [loquacious boss](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563926) has a new word he’s beating into the ground…"_vet_, or “_vetted_”, except he uses it to mean “resolved an issue” - multiple times a day, everyday. Drives me to drink, he does. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/86 "2014-09-08T22:28:13Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Agreed that it’s not a crime to end a sentence with a preposition. But while the words at the end of your examples can be and often are prepositions, they’re not used as such in your examples. Each is an adverb in this case. It should be plainly clear that a preposition is not an appropriate thing to end a sentence with. Also, don’t use no double negatives. If a mixed metaphor sprouts up, it should be derailed. Careful writers know that it is important to never split an infinitive. It is especially important to never excessively, via a sequence of more than five words, or even a subclause, split an infinitive. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. Every sentence must a verb. The passive voice should not be used. When dangling, watch your participles. Avoid cliches like the plague. No sentence fragments. One should never generalize. Don’t write run on sentences they are hard to read. Who needs rhetorical questions? Don’t use foreign abbreviations from languages like Greek, Latin, etc. Proofread carefully to verify that you did not words out. Don’t, overuse commas, they make, sentences hard, to read. Like, you should totally avoid slang in formal writing. Common vulgarisms suck. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/87 "2014-09-08T22:35:32Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Hear this one a lot…when something doesn’t make sense or isn’t in accord with something else, it doesn’t _jibe_, not _jive_. > > My [loquacious boss](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=563926) has a new word he’s beating into the ground…"_vet_, or “_vetted_”, except he uses it to mean “resolved an issue” - multiple times a day, everyday. Drives me to drink, he does. Your boss reminds me of a few I’ve had the misfortune of working under over the years. A collection of their abuses of the Mother Tongue include: 1. Mute instead of moot 2. Analyzation instead of analysis 3. Fomula instead of formula 4. Focast for forecast 5. Peach goods rather than piece goods 6. Graft for graph 7. Interpolate instead of interpret 8. Exsetera for et cetera ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/88 "2014-09-08T23:19:27Z")
I know this is an old thread, but here are two: 1. “Put up or shut up” doesn’t mean that you have to put up with something and shut up about it. It means you should do what you say you’ll do, or shut up about it. 2. “Crescendo” does not mean climax. It means a build to a climax. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/89 "2014-09-08T23:28:53Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > 1. Exsetera for et cetera and 8.5) ect. for etc. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/90 "2014-09-09T00:34:20Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I know this is an old thread, but here are two: > > 1. “Crescendo” does not mean climax. It means a build to a climax. You just reminded me of another common one…when asking someone to be quiet, you’ll hear “Can you bring it down a few octaves?” instead of decibels. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/91 "2014-09-09T01:07:22Z")
> [@LiveOnAPlane](#): > > Two of my all-time favorites: > 2. Decimated - You lose one out of ten, that is, a 10% destruction rate. From a Roman term, where, I think, they killed one out of ten of their enemies. A ten percent rate of destruction is, usually, not bad. However, it is usually used to mean that something was almost completely destroyed. Usually ? Not bad for a war, but bad for one battle, or bad for the first day of a 7 day battle. It all depends on context… you might infer that a single decimation spells ultimate disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/92 "2014-09-09T01:11:32Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > You just reminded me of another common one…when asking someone to be quiet, you’ll hear “Can you bring it down a few octaves?” instead of decibels. That could be a deliberately cheeky misuse, like responding “is this better?” in a _basso profondo_ when someone tells you to “lower your voice.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/93 "2014-09-09T08:45:40Z")
Stanch: v.t. To stop the flow of something: Apply a tourniquet to stanch the bleeding; Congress shut down the government to stanch the runaway spending. Staunch: adj. Steadfast: We can count on our staunch allies for their support. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/94 "2014-09-09T10:37:07Z")
Well done, robert\_columbia. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/95 "2014-09-09T15:45:24Z")
Can’t believe no one has addressed one of the most commonly misused words today: Nauseous. If you are “nauseous,” you have the ability to make people “nauseated.” Bonus peeves: - If I have to hear “orien **tated** ” instead of simply “oriented” one more time, I’m going to freak out. - People who fight “mano a mano, with knives!” That’s all other languages are, right? You just add a letter on to the English equivalent, and boom: Spanish. “Mano a mano” means “hand to hand,” not “man to man” ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/96 "2014-09-09T16:16:14Z")
[Nauseous: affected with nausea or disgust](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nauseous) [Nauseous: Affected with nausea; inclined to vomit](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/nauseous) [Nauseous: feeling that you are likely to vomit, or causing this feeling](http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/american-english/nauseous) [Nauseous: feeling as if you want to vomit](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/nauseous) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/97 "2014-09-09T16:23:14Z")
“Quantum” when used to mean “vast”, usually joined with “leap” as in “This new technology is a quantum leap over the existing installed base…” It means discrete and measurable, and tends to reference the very small. Of course, this “misuse” of the word has, arguably, changed the definition of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/98 "2014-09-09T16:28:09Z")
I know people have complained about quantum before and it’s surprised me because I always understood framing something as a quantum leap meant not that it was an extraordinarily large jump (although from the perspective of an electron, it’s certainly not a skip!) but that it was an unprecedented and unusual move that no one quite expected when they started out. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/99 "2014-09-09T16:32:46Z")
Many dictionaries mention the size aspect, mostly referencing “smallness”. > **[Definition of QUANTUM](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantum)** > > quantity, amount; portion, part; gross quantity : bulk… See the full definition But like I said, meanings change as use changes, so it’s not that big of a deal… you could almost say it’s a quantum deal. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/100 "2014-09-09T17:03:38Z")
> [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > If I have to hear “orien **tated** ” instead of simply “oriented” one more time, I’m going to freak out. I confess, with some shame, to liking “orientated”. I “know with my head” that it’s wrong, and “oriented” is right. Nonetheless, I “feel with my gut” that the right and wrong here, should be the other way about. The actual word “oriented” feels to me, in this context, awkward and stilted; plus IMO it’s counter-intuitive that when you get your correct orientation, you’re not orientated, but oriented. I try to avoid the issue by finding work-arounds, by which I don’t use the “o-words”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922.md?page=6)