# Phrases you've seen mangled **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141 "2010-03-03T16:08:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/61 "2010-03-04T01:55:21Z")
> [@ReticulatingSplines](#): > > It should be “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” No. We’re not talking about phrases that may or may not make sense; we’re talking about phrases that some people mangle. For better or for worse, “The proof is in the pudding” is the phrase that we’ve all heard, it’s not a mangled version of your phrase. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/62 "2010-03-04T01:57:14Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > _Viola_ when meaning to write _voilà_ . . . I love this, and always respond with “Cello!” (former violist here) ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/63 "2010-03-04T02:01:49Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Yeah. My position on that is this- Toeing the line sounds ridiculous. Completely. > > Towing the line makes me picture a guy pulling a barge with a tow line… He’s towing the line. He’s doing the work, if he doesn’t the barge might be lost to the river. You do it right or something bad might happen. Okay. However, the phrase ‘toeing the line’ has nothing to do with performing work but conforming to a position. I don’t know if it’s still the case today but, _when ahh was a yungah maan_ ;), grunts in the military were commanded to toe the line and it meant that everyone in the squad should line up abreast with their toes on the line. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/64 "2010-03-04T02:27:33Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > No. We’re not talking about phrases that may or may not make sense; we’re talking about phrases that some people mangle. For better or for worse, “The proof is in the pudding” is the phrase that we’ve all heard, it’s not a mangled version of your phrase. Just because incorrect use of a phrase becomes increasingly common over time, as certainly seems to be the case with the referenced phrase, doesn’t negate its incorrectness. Although, to your point, I concede that everyone pretty much knows what it means, ‘the proof is in the pudding’ on its face simply makes no sense, and is a mangling of the original phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/65 "2010-03-04T02:44:09Z")
I once heard a friend use the phrase “to thy known self be true.” The correct version is “to thine own self be true.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/66 "2010-03-04T02:54:39Z")
Just thought of one that used to bother me when I was a kid. The lyrics to the Iron Maiden song _Afraid to Shoot Strangers_ include an excerpt from the Anglican version of the Lord’s Prayer, but with the word _shall_ substituted for _with_: > [@](#): > > Thy kingdom come > Thy **shall** be done… on earth I nearly wrote Steve Harris a letter when I was about 9 explaining that it didn’t make any sense if you substituted _shall_ for _will_, since that wasn’t the sort of will the prayer was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/67 "2010-03-04T03:05:45Z")
I have a friend who mangles them on purpose. He claims I am the only one who has ever noticed, but I suspect most people just don’t want to embarrass him by pointing it out. Two of his favorites are: \*Six of one and a dime a dozen. \*And: _We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it._ ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/68 "2010-03-04T03:11:48Z")
Most of my favourites are already posted, but another one that irritates me is “to step foot” instead of “to set foot”-- grrrrr ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/69 "2010-03-04T03:35:32Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > To round things out, here are a few more. Although words and not phrases, they make my spleen hurt whenever I hear them and, therefore, deserve mention.[…]Pronouncing the word ‘jewelry’ “joolery” > > …to name a few. 😉 Jewellery is an alternate version of the jewelry with the pronunciation you mention. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/70 "2010-03-04T04:13:11Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > _We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it._ Hey! I say that, too! It’s never gotten a laugh in 20 years, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/71 "2010-03-04T04:48:57Z")
Way back when, a friend of mine turned me on to the phrase “I’ll jump off that bridge when I get to it.” Used to drive the counselors nuts! Not very common, but I used to hear this when people are discussing the number of players on a sports team or to describe their ammunition count. “…a full complement…” grrr… A complete set of something \*is \*a complement. As in “I have my complement of tools” (right) or “The Dolphins have their full complement of time outs” ( **wrong** ) ETA: Just remembered: I saw this in an article describing Carmello Anthony’s upcoming wedding. The couple was described as “Nooyuricans”. This was meant to be a compliment, not a disparagement. Right. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/72 "2010-03-04T05:05:22Z")
> [@MoodIndigo1](#): > > Most of my favourites are already posted, but another one that irritates me is “to step foot” instead of “to set foot”-- grrrrr Thank you, thank you. It drives me crazy, and it seems to be becoming more common all the time. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/73 "2010-03-04T15:15:33Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’m just going to go ahead and toss out the ones Dopers always bitch about. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some: > > “all intensive purposes” > “whole nother thing” > “E **c** cetera” In the last 2-3 years, somehow “ **ect.** ” has become commonly misused for “ **etc**.” I just saw it used the wrong way on the Dope, and I am resisting the temptation to Pit the user. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/74 "2010-03-04T15:24:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Um… why? Because “to comprise” means “to include.” The phrase they were looking for is “is composed [made up] of.” ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/75 "2010-03-04T15:34:35Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > No. We’re not talking about phrases that may or may not make sense; we’re talking about phrases that some people mangle. For better or for worse, “The proof is in the pudding” is the phrase that we’ve all heard, it’s not a mangled version of your phrase. No. You are conflating “acceptance” with “correctness,” when the spirit of the OP was to point out deficiencies of the latter. I know that’s the phrase everyone hears, but you can’t argue that it’s a mangled form of the original–popular acceptance notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/76 "2010-03-04T15:37:03Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Towing the line makes me picture a guy pulling a barge with a tow line… He’s towing the line. Apart from just being incorrect, ‘towing the line’ doesn’t really make sense either - he’s towing the barge, _using_ the line. The towed object is not the tow rope. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/77 "2010-03-04T15:50:01Z")
> [@](#): > > “I’ve ate already” Just the other day, I heard “I ain’t ate.” I’ve also heard: “Him home.” “You had to took it.” “Mens like football.” “My feets is hurting.” “He ain’t woke.” “I got mines.” And my favorite: “Well, is you or is you ain’t?” ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/78 "2010-03-04T17:00:01Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > I once heard a friend use the phrase “to thy known self be true.” > > The correct version is “to thine own self be true.” While it may be incorrect to say it that way, it actually has a similar meaning. When you truly know yourself you want to be true to who you are. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/79 "2010-03-04T17:14:04Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Because “to comprise” means “to include.” The phrase they were looking for is “is composed [made up] of.” Again, that ship has sailed: [QUOTE=OED] comprise • verb 1 be made up of; consist of. 2 (also be comprised of) make up; constitute. — USAGE Traditionally, comprise means ‘consist of’ and should not be used to mean ‘constitute or make up (a whole)’. However, a passive use of comprise is becoming part of standard English: this use (as in the country is comprised of twenty states) is more or less synonymous with the traditional active sense (as in the country comprises twenty states). [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/80 "2010-03-04T18:50:44Z")
“Taken for granite.” “Decimate” to destroy utterly, rather than to reduce by a tenth. Only General William Westmoreland could have ever seriously confused the two. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141.md?page=5)