# 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:** 5
**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, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/81 "2010-03-04T19:03:22Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > “Decimate” to destroy utterly, rather than to reduce by a tenth. Only General William Westmoreland could have ever seriously confused the two. Yet another ship that, unfortunately, has sailed [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decimate](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decimate) ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/82 "2010-03-04T19:06:11Z")
A friend and I were talking the other day and the subject of Japan came up. He referred to the “Empirical Family”. He also told me about getting corrected in a meeting when he kept talking about “tangenital points” (as opposed to “tangential points”). Very sharp guy, too. I find little slips like this amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/83 "2010-03-04T19:15:27Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > A friend and I were talking the other day and the subject of Japan came up. He referred to the “Empirical Family”. > > He also told me about getting corrected in a meeting when he kept talking about “tangenital points” (as opposed to “tangential points”). > > Very sharp guy, too. I find little slips like this amusing. I can’t present this as a new idea since I probably said it the last time I got into a thread with a similar theme, but one of my old chess buddies would always say when I made some surprise move that got two of his pieces in jeopardy, “Hey, that’s not cultured!” (I have to assume the word kosher never appeared to him in a context other than pickles and bacon.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/84 "2010-03-04T19:18:23Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > “tangenital points” Bronze penis, show me the way! ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/85 "2010-03-04T19:22:08Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > “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. Huh, I’ve been using it wrong… I was under the impression that decimate meant “reduce to a tenth” i.e., destroy 90%. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/86 "2010-03-04T19:28:03Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I can’t present this as a new idea since I probably said it the last time I got into a thread with a similar theme, but one of my old chess buddies would always say when I made some surprise move that got two of his pieces in jeopardy, “Hey, that’s not cultured!” (I have to assume the word kosher never appeared to him in a context other than pickles and bacon.) [He wasn’t Russian, was he?](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nekulturny) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/87 "2010-03-04T19:35:23Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > [He wasn’t Russian, was he?](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nekulturny) Nope, but I can’t deny perhaps a touch of > [@](#): > > Literally means uncultured, but has connotations of white trash, chav, or naco. I now have a new word to spring on him next time I see him. It’s been years and the last time was in Kroger late one night. He was buying some souse. ---
**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, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/88 "2010-03-04T23:04:13Z")
> [@Slypork](#): > > 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. Yeah. And now that I think about it, she may have said it like that on purpose. She was quoting it for a class project (it was supposedly a piece of advice that her father had given her years ago). Either she misheard it, or her father purposely changed the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/89 "2010-03-04T23:44:35Z")
There’s one that bothers me a lot at the moment, but unfortunately the facts are against me, where regional usage trumps all. And that is “alternate” when you mean “alternative”. “Alternate” already means one thing, to move from one state to another and back repeatedly. That is “alternating,” where you “alternate” from one to the other. When referring to a second option that may also be applied, that is an “alternative”. “Alternate” already has its own very distinct meaning, “Alternative” already has its own meaning. Using the one word for both meanings pisses me off. But it seems that the dictionary, especially for US usage, has decided I’m a fool to get upset. _shakes fist at dictionary_ ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/90 "2010-03-05T02:06:58Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > I love my best friend to death, but she constantly says “in lieu of” when she means “in light of”. GAH! Is this a new trend? Because I’ve seen it here on the Dope in the last couple weeks, and the \*principal of my daughter’s school \*used it in the opening of a newsletter article! :smack::smack::smack: Urge to kill rising, rising . . . ---
**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 5, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/91 "2010-03-05T05:57:32Z")
I love it when profession newspeople . . . whose job entails knowledge of the English language . . . make mistakes that they should have corrected in 3rd grade. I recently heard a CNN anchor say “to him and I.” ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/92 "2010-03-05T07:01:18Z")
“Up and Adam!” ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/93 "2010-03-05T07:58:38Z")
[QUOTE=Mean Mr. Mustard] 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?” [/QUOTE] Hmmm. Linguists would probably say that several of your entries are actually examples of “African American Vernacular English” rather than merely “mangled phrases.” AAVE has a somewhat long and interesting history in the United States. AAVE has pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary in common with various West African languages. [African-American Vernacular English - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English) I know that while some people can effortlessly move back and forth between “standard English” and AAVE, others only speak AAVE. The latter is probably not a good thing as far as certain job interviews and other opportunities go. Of course, we could have whole threads and doctoral dissertations about AAVE’s “legitimacy,” etc. However, I just wanted to note that I see some of the items on your list as far different from, for example, **Onomatopoeia’s** list. (Deteriate, expresso, supposably, etc.) People who say things from the **Onomatopoeia** list should just be killed, most likely. > [@](#): > > And my favorite: “Well, is you or is you ain’t?” This should be your favorite, 'cause it’s a good [song](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_You_Is_or_Is_You_Ain%27t_My_Baby). My mom used to sing it to us. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/94 "2010-03-05T09:32:14Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I love it when profession newspeople . . . whose job entails knowledge of the English language . . . make mistakes that they should have corrected in 3rd grade. You mean like unnecessary ellipses? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/95 "2010-03-05T15:44:34Z")
I _just now_ got an email from a _Director_ at our Fortune 500 company, who I have a lot of repect for. Until I read in this email “for all intensive purposes.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/96 "2010-03-05T15:52:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I love it when profession newspeople . . . whose job entails knowledge of the English language . . . make mistakes that they should have corrected in 3rd grade. I recently heard a CNN anchor say “to him and I.” The other day a coworker was saying “So I e-mailed him and I about the… Him and I? Him and me? I always mix those up. I e-mailed I? No. I e-mailed me? Yeah, I would say I e-mailed me.” I had to pipe up “No you wouldn’t. I e-mailed myself.” But it sounds a little wonky to say I e-mailed him and myself. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/97 "2010-03-05T16:37:18Z")
> [@breaking-reality](#): > > Tacking “You know what I mean?” to the back of any statement. This is okay every now and then, but when it’s every other sentence? Please just shoot me now. I once had the misfortune to be buttonholed by a moron who ended each sentence with “Ya’unnerstan’?” with a nasal twang. And he was speaking Swedish, not English. > [@TWDuke](#): > > Merriam Webster dates “[unquote](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unquote)” back to 1915 and has no entry at all for “endquote.” Try “quote, end quote” instead. > [@Beadalin](#): > > Although this is apparently creeping into acceptable usage, but it still drives me nuts when I see something that “is comprised of” other things. > > > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > > Um… why? Because it should be “The \ comprises \”, not the other way round. [Cite.](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprise) ---
**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 5, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/98 "2010-03-05T16:46:47Z")
Did you _read_ your citation? Or mine? ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/99 "2010-03-05T17:00:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Did you _read_ your citation? Or mine? Hmm, not as thoroughly as I should have it seems. Must take out my copy of Bill Bryson’s dictionary of troublesome words which I might have misremembered in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/100 "2010-03-05T17:12:42Z")
In California, teachers and school administrators must be certificated. I could never understand how, in a field where there are mobs of English teachers, grammarians, and pedants, no one ever explained to the state board that the action is “to certify”, the piece of paper is the “certificate”, and if someone has the piece of paper, they are “certified”. I’m of the opinion that the state board is certifiable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141.md?page=6)