# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/121 "2010-03-19T16:49:48Z")
I have a friend who says, “That took the sails out of his wind.” ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/122 "2010-03-19T16:57:05Z")
It’s time to get down to brass tax. Works only as a written error, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/123 "2010-03-19T17:19:43Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > It’s time to get down to brass tax. > > Works only as a written error, of course. Speaking of written ones, a salesman at work was raising hell in email to most of the company about how one of his customers gave him “night mirrors.” ---
**Author:** ![Sundrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sundrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sundrop)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/124 "2010-03-19T17:20:56Z")
Sally is looking for a dominate man. Or: Germany is the dominate economy in the region. Gah. Drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![dragoncat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6a8cbe/32.png) [@dragoncat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragoncat)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/125 "2010-03-19T17:49:14Z")
Actually, “no love lost” _does_ correctly refer to hatred or extreme dislike: [http://www.yourdictionary.com/idioms/no-love-lost](http://www.yourdictionary.com/idioms/no-love-lost) I once heard someone talk about something happening **24/17** instead of 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/126 "2010-03-19T17:49:46Z")
Not so much a mangling of other words and meanings, but some of those that just defy common sense: 1. “Take and…” A guy at work never ever just did something, he had to “take and do” something. Sometimes he couldn’t even come up with the verb he was trying to communicate, so it would devolve into “take and thing…” whatever and his intent was totally lost unless you could figure out what his gestures were implying. 2. “Up and…” Same basic scenario. There have to be other variations of this verbal noise. ---
**Author:** ![Vorpal\_Blade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9de0a6/32.png) [@Vorpal\_Blade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorpal_Blade)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/127 "2010-03-19T19:10:16Z")
…and the radio announcer, discussing keeping records by documentating them. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/128 "2010-03-19T19:13:21Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > …2) “Up and…” Same basic scenario. Well, you know, people in the South \*do \*just up and die for no good reason. Really! “You 'member Old Wiley down the road?” “Yep. I know Old Wiley. What about him?” “Died last week.” “No! What happened?” “Dunno. Just up and died.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/129 "2010-03-19T19:49:29Z")
My daughter used to say Poppa wheelie instead of pop a wheelie - that thing where you go up on your back wheel of a bike. ---
**Author:** ![snowmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@snowmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowmaster)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141/130 "2010-03-22T15:27:45Z")
Persona non gratia, as in dei gratia regina, instead of persona non grata. Don’t bring the Latin if you’re going to fuck it up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-youve-seen-mangled/531141.md?page=6)