# phrases you have said wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635 "2016-09-11T12:35:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/21 "2016-09-12T02:58:00Z")
I’ve heard many people say “nip it in the butt” but it never really got to me until I started sitting next to a lady at work who somehow found a way to use that phrase several times a day. I heard someone on TV a few weeks ago say “every once in the wild.” Thank god I could rewind and hear it again to make sure I didn’t mishear her. Nope. Also, I hate when people say “once and a while.” ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/22 "2016-09-12T03:16:50Z")
A neighbor was telling me about an strange animal she saw in the yard and she said " She doesn’t like ‘foreign’ animals! :smack: She was talking about the wild animals and called them ‘foreign’ animals! ! I guess we better call Trump and have him build a wall around our yard ! LOL! It was a groundhog that she saw. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Arthias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f19dbf/32.png) [@Dr.Arthias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Arthias)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/23 "2016-09-12T04:13:58Z")
I realized not long ago that my imagining of “making ends meet” was completely wrong. I always thought it was “making end’s meat”. I assumed that the phrase probably originated from older times when poor people with no money to buy prime cuts would go to the butcher at the end of the day for leftover scraps of meat, or “end pieces”. So someone who’s barely getting by is “making end’s meat”, living off the crumbs of the upper classes. I still like my version better. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/24 "2016-09-12T06:19:32Z")
I have never uddered a phrase incorrectly in my life. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/25 "2016-09-12T10:17:46Z")
I once went to a training seminar run by an ‘inspirational’ former boxer who said “believe it or believe it or not”, every few sentences. It didn’t help that most of what he was saying was pretty stupid as well; it turns out that being punched in the face for a living doesn’t necessarily make you a great public speaker. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/26 "2016-09-12T10:20:44Z")
From [a previous thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=756145) let me mention once more my old boss, who (a) sure wanted customers to rave about us, and (b) must have heard the phrase ‘rant and rave’, and so would emphasize that our customers should rant and rave about us. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/27 "2016-09-12T12:28:09Z")
Lately the phrase “never set foot” has evolved to “never stepped foot.” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/28 "2016-09-12T12:46:46Z")
The phrases “one in the same” and the ever popular “could care less” still grate on my nerves. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/29 "2016-09-12T12:50:33Z")
Several years ago the phrase,“on track” was popular when talking about sports performances. The quarterback needs to get back on track, which meant, to me, get back into a groove. Sports announcers somehow changed it to untracked. These are professional people who should know all the sports phrases. Just about drove me crazy. I no longer have cable so ESPN and the other sports channels don’t bother me, for all I know they may still be saying untracked. ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/30 "2016-09-12T14:40:40Z")
as a child and through my teen I called it “stimulated wood grain” instead of simulated. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/31 "2016-09-12T15:29:51Z")
When my brother was a wee lad, I recall him thinking that a strong person could do something “with his bear hands,” meaning, hands as strong as a bear!! ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Fairway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Mrs\_Fairway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Fairway)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/32 "2016-09-12T17:34:48Z")
From other people, I hear: eck-cetera instead of et cetera exspecially exscape expresso ying and yang instead of yin and yang Those ex-words really get under my skin. I have a coworker who cannot say the word “hazard.” She pronounces it “hazardous” no matter what form of the word she is reading. I once had a co-worker who said, “It’s not rocket scientist.” I still laugh about that one. I’m sure I have a ton of others that aren’t readily coming to mind. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/33 "2016-09-12T18:28:45Z")
I still don’t know if the phrase is “toe the line” or “tow the line”. The former makes slightly more sense but not much. There’s a phrase “hitch your wagon to a star” and another, "hitch your horse to the wrong wagon. I can never keep these straight and usually end up saying something like “I guess you hitched your star to the wrong horse, eh?” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/34 "2016-09-12T19:37:27Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I had to use the dictionary to convince my mother that one has pubic, not public, hair. Actually one has both. Best to not get them confused though. My Mom used to say “that’s a horse of a different garage” instead of the more common “that’s a horse of a different color.” I \*think \*she knew the correct version and was just mangling it to being funny. But I can’t swear to that. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/35 "2016-09-12T19:54:15Z")
I worked with someone once whose favorite expression was “There’s more truth in that than poultry!” He was an Agricultural Products Specialist for the state and, although he spoke with a southern drawl, the final word was pretty distinct. I’m morally certain he’d never heard of James J. Montague. ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/36 "2016-09-12T20:18:53Z")
oh I forgot the best one… my husband once said… " I’m not going to cow tail down to them"… I almost fell on the floor laughing cow tail? I think you mean kowtow. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/37 "2016-09-12T20:23:15Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > From [a previous thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=756145) let me mention once more my old boss, who (a) sure wanted customers to rave about us, and (b) must have heard the phrase ‘rant and rave’, and so would emphasize that our customers should rant and rave about us. One of the IT director types talks about running through \ as a “bump and grind” process. Um, I don’t think that phrase means what you think it does. He’s pretty straitlaced so it would be embarrassing to explain to him; maybe just send him a link… [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAXxkNaRkp8) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/38 "2016-09-12T22:23:43Z")
I’m quite fond of saying “six of one, two dozen of the other”. > [@flaming\_yawn](#): > > I once heard a lady order JAP a lean o peppers at subway… My mom says it hallapeenyas even though the word clearly ends in an O and not an A. As a “protest”, I’ve taken to calling them jallop in ohs (like how the word might be pronounced if it was an English word) when it comes up around her. All in good fun. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/39 "2016-09-12T22:54:44Z")
My old boss used to tell us we when he thought something was a good ideal. He also liked to talk about criterier (criteria). mmm ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635/40 "2016-09-12T23:21:11Z")
My ex used to say “finagled” for reneged" as in “you finagled on the bet”. Also, “that guy has more money than sense” which I’m assuming is supposed be “. . . \*dollars \*than sense(cents)” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-have-said-wrong/765635.md?page=3)