# People who just can't quite use the right word **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 24, 2005, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654 "2005-02-24T06:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/1 "2005-02-24T06:04:50Z")
Have you ever heard somebody use a word that’s just not quite what they mean to say, but they obviously have no idea it’s wrong? Or maybe they do it habitually because it’s ingrained after a period of time. ``` I remember a woman I used to help by tutoring, and sometimes she'd go on about her personal life and feelings. I clearly remember her saying, "I felt just like a refuge!" (She meant "refugee.") She also once said, "I am so repressed" when it was obvious from the context of her conversation that she meant to say "oppressed." ``` And then there was this classic: “I need to get the 911 on that.” (She meant “the 411.”) So…do you know people who do this sort of thing? Or perhaps you do it? ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/2 "2005-02-24T06:11:46Z")
I know someone who says “taunt” when they mean “taut.” I saw an email from someone saying “Without so much as a bye or leave” when they meant “Without so much as a by your leave.” I heard of someone who said “For all intensive purposes” when they meant “for all intents and purposes.” If I ever say something that stupid, I do hope someone slaps some sense into me. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/3 "2005-02-24T06:22:48Z")
> [@Sengkelat](#): > > I heard of someone who said “For all intensive purposes” when they meant “for all intents and purposes.” Until a few months ago I never heard this…now it seems like I hear it everywhere (including from one of my professors, depressingly). A small thing, but it drives me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/4 "2005-02-24T06:36:17Z")
People who talk about flaunting the law. It makes me think of the bar room madams of old, flirting outrageously with the sheriff. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/5 "2005-02-24T21:47:40Z")
I wish that by now people would have learned that “phenomena” is plural and “phenomena” is singular. But no. And saying “incidences” when one means “incidents” is inexcusable. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/6 "2005-02-24T21:51:59Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I wish that by now people would have learned that “phenomena” is plural and “phenomena” is singular… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/7 "2005-02-24T21:55:45Z")
I know someone who exclaims “Erotica!” whenever she sees something new or wild, i.e. exotic. It makes me giggle every time, so I’ve never bothered to correct her. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/8 "2005-02-24T21:56:20Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I wish that by now people would have learned that “phenomena” is plural and “phenomena” is singular. But no. I keep reading it over and over again… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/9 "2005-02-24T22:05:26Z")
My aunt calls envelopes envelops. And I’m sure I do it too. Hell if I know what words though… my more common problem is using a word in speech that I’ve only encountered in text. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/10 "2005-02-24T22:05:53Z")
Me too. I think we’re in some sort of alternate universe. My brother says taunt for taut. Drives me nuts. (he also says “Jerry Steinfeld”). :mad: ---
**Author:** ![moonstarssun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@moonstarssun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonstarssun)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/11 "2005-02-24T22:15:23Z")
Oh, I have tons of these. The one that’s making my skin crawl this week comes from a woman I work with who uses “in lieu of” to mean “regarding.” ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/12 "2005-02-24T23:50:44Z")
My boss consistently uses “realistically” in place of “really”. It drives me absolutely crazy. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/13 "2005-02-24T23:54:41Z")
> [@AngelicGemma](#): > > I keep reading it over and over again… Me too. I know of one person who still insists on “…_these_ data…” as being the only correct or unambiguous usage :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/14 "2005-02-25T00:01:29Z")
I have a friend who insisted she went to the “Grand Canyon Islands” for her honeymoon. Drove me nuts. I kept correcting her, her husband kept correcting her, but she insisted the place was the Grand Canyon Islands. She said “Grand Caymons” made no sense. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/15 "2005-02-25T00:02:17Z")
My mother is the champion of this, although, for some reason I can’t think of any specific ones right now. My dad, though, says “wench” for “winch.” He was a minister who liked to use down-to-earth real life stories in his sermons and this once led to a very _interesting_ anecdote about a deep-sea fishing trip, which repeatedly included the phrase “three men and a wench.” ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/16 "2005-02-25T00:04:17Z")
I had a friend in college who would say obliverate instead of obliterate. Like, “I got totally obliverated last weekend.” Also, if she ever needed you to repeat something you’d said, she’d say, “Do what?” Example: “I’m going to run to the store.” … “Do what?” Used to drive me insane. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/17 "2005-02-25T00:04:46Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > I have a friend who insisted she went to the “Grand Canyon Islands” for her honeymoon. Drove me nuts. I kept correcting her, her husband kept correcting her, but she insisted the place was the Grand Canyon Islands. She said “Grand Caymons” made no sense. :rolleyes: Did you smack her? Please tell me you smacked her. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/18 "2005-02-25T00:06:39Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > She said “Grand Caymons” made no sense. :rolleyes: It doesn’t. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/19 "2005-02-25T00:07:26Z")
I had a former boss who would always say, “I would just assume do this or that,” instead of “just as soon.” Every time I heard her say it I would just grit my teeth and try to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654/20 "2005-02-25T00:13:04Z")
They’re called malaproprisms, and named after the character Mrs Malaprop in Richard Sheridan’s play _The Rivals_, who made a habit of them: “If I reprehend any thing in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue and a nice derangement of epitaphs!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-just-cant-quite-use-the-right-word/291654.md?page=2)