# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/101 "2014-09-09T17:35:45Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “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. 🙂 This one drove me crazy for years until I just gave up. ‘Quantum leap’ seems to be used to describe a descrete, revolutionary change rather than the normal gradual changes we are used to, and that is sort of correct. But to me phrase means the smallest change possible. At quantum levels things don’t change gradually, they leap from one state to the next so a quantum leap is as infinitesimal a change as there can possible be. Maybe I haven’t given up on this one. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/102 "2014-09-09T18:02:48Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > 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. I understood “quantum leap” to indicate when something goes from state A to state B, skipping the (assumed) intermediary steps. It is the non-linearity that makes it a quantum leap forward, and not just a strong advance. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/103 "2014-09-09T18:06:12Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I understood “quantum leap” to indicate when something goes from state A to state B, skipping the (assumed) intermediary steps. That’s been my interpretation of “proper usage” of the term. Physics classes helped me relate to it more than just common parlance and that’s true of so many things the general public accepts at face value and distorts out of the original intent. We could explore those things in a separate thread if somebody wants to jump off and start one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/104 "2014-09-09T18:28:19Z")
I agree with the above. Think of it like this: A quantum is something that is unsplitable, not made of smaller parts. A quantum leap is a change that happens instantly, in the smallest possible unit of time. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/105 "2014-09-09T18:38:02Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Everybody should know the names of the symbols above the number keys. And the little star thingy above the 8 (on a US keyboard) is called an _asterisk_. Not an _asterix_. Don’t even get me started on people who use _loose_ when they mean _lose_. Drives me absolutely bonkers. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/106 "2014-09-09T18:57:44Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I agree with the above. Think of it like this: > > A quantum is something that is unsplitable, not made of smaller parts. > > A quantum leap is a change that happens instantly, in the smallest possible unit of time. Yeah, ‘quantum’ and ‘quantum’ leap are two different things, as their M-W entries attest. Nitpicking this (hyperselective literalism?) is about like saying “breakneck” speed is a misnomer because you’re not actually breaking your neck. ---
**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, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/107 "2014-09-09T20:40:57Z")
To bring up another one that bugs me, though, akin to quantum, I’ve lost the battle on this one (probably before my birth, but so what?): There is a letter called “Oh”. There is a number called “zero”. They look a lot alike, but are not the same thing. So please, Sprint (for example), when I dial a number that is non-existent do not say “The number you have dialed, ‘two-one-oh-five-five…’!” I do not say “My user name is spelled ‘Jay-zero-aich-enn-tee’.” Why? Because a “O” is not a “0” and to spell it out that way is freakin’ idiotic. So, please, for the love of God and all that is Holy, don’t tell me that zero is oh. Thank you. You may return to your regularly scheduled thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/108 "2014-09-09T20:51:57Z")
> [@AuntPam](#): > > “Escalate” does not mean “tell your boss”–except, perhaps, as verbal shorthand for “I’m going to escalate the level of concern about this by informing my boss.” “Escalating the problem” would mean “intensifying the problem.” I didn’t know this. I always thought escalate meant to raise something up. You could escalate a problem by raising its level of difficulty or escalate a fight by raising its level of violence. But I also figured an escalator raises people up from one floor to another - it doesn’t make its passengers more intense. So while I never used escalate to mean telling something to a boss, I could see the sense of it - I figured you were raising the issue to the next level of management. So what is an escalator supposed to be intensifying? ---
**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, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/109 "2014-09-09T21:41:14Z")
Well, as long as you don’t escalate the problem to your [direct reports](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=718200), you’ll probably be OK. However, if the problem is large enough, you’d best escalate it to the responsible C-level and let them deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Abracadebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Abracadebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abracadebra)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/110 "2014-09-09T21:49:49Z")
My peeve is Commander and Chief. Please. Make. It. Stop. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/111 "2014-09-09T22:16:09Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > And the little star thingy above the 8 (on a US keyboard) is called an _asterisk_. Not an _asterix_. Around here, I hear _asterick_ more often. I have a memory aid (I’m never sure how mnemonic is spelled) for that. “I regret that I have but one _asterisk_ {\*} for my country.” I don’t use _quantum,_ because I don’t understand that branch of physics. I avoid using the French words I know, because I probably don’t say them right. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/112 "2014-09-09T23:43:54Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > 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. Actually, I think decimation was a punishment meted out to a group of soldiers that had underperformed - the Romans were actually killing 1 tenth of their own guys as an example to the remaining 9. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/113 "2014-09-10T08:10:50Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > I have a memory aid (I’m never sure how mnemonic is spelled) for that. Here’s a handy way to remember the spelling of mnemonic: Mexicans Never Eat Menudo Outdoors Near Impertinent Cholas. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/114 "2014-09-10T11:05:45Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > And the little star thingy above the 8 (on a US keyboard) is called an _asterisk_. Not an _asterix_. Damn that Uderzo and Goscinny pair… ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/115 "2014-09-10T13:10:58Z")
Growing up the teacher/student back-and-forth was always: “Can I go to the nurse? I don’t feel good” “No Jimmy, it’s I don’t feel well” It took me until the middle of college before I realized that it’s correct in saying “I don’t feel good” because putting in “well” makes it seem like you’ve lost ability to feel things with you hands and such ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/116 "2014-09-10T13:47:10Z")
The word, ‘niggardly,’ has nothing to do with racism. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/117 "2014-09-10T14:25:23Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Growing up the teacher/student back-and-forth was always: > > “Can I go to the nurse? I don’t feel good” > > “No Jimmy, it’s I don’t feel well” > It took me until the middle of college before I realized that it’s correct in saying “I don’t feel good” because putting in “well” makes it seem like you’ve lost ability to feel things with you hands and such Plus, the possibility of getting into the business of “you _can_ go to the nurse, Jimmy – the question is, whether you _may_”… It could come to seem that the whole pedantry / precise-definitions thing, was going in the direction in which madness lies. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/118 "2014-09-11T02:00:08Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Here’s a handy way to remember the spelling of mnemonic: > > Mexicans Never Eat Menudo Outdoors Near Impertinent Cholas. Now all we need is a mnemonic to remember that phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/119 "2014-09-11T02:55:40Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Now all we need is a mnemonic to remember that phrase. Just remember that each word in that phrase starts with the next letter in the word “mnemonic.” ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922/120 "2014-09-11T04:21:16Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > Here’s my favourite. > > Some people use the phrase ‘to grow like Topsy’ to mean growing very quickly or to a greater than usual size. What this phrase actually means is ‘to have grown seemingly from nowhere, without explanation or known source’. For example, you might be discussing a rumour and if you don’t know how it got started, you might say, ‘I don’t know, it seemed to just grow, like Topsy’. > > It comes from the Brer Rabbit stories, where Topsy is asked where she came from and she says that she doesn’t know, “I guess I just growed”. Correction: From _Uncle Tom’s Cabin_. “Have you ever heard anything about God, Topsy?” The child looked bewildered, but grinned as usual. “Do you know who made you?” “Nobody, as I knows on,” said the child, with a short laugh. The idea appeared to amuse her considerably; for her eyes twinkled, and she added, “I spect I grow’d. Don’t think nobody never made me.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-misunderstood-misused-words-or-phrases/335922.md?page=7)