# Supposably - have mispronounced words become standard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875 "2015-02-17T00:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/221 "2015-03-01T10:45:39Z")
Careened is frequently used to describe a vehicle out of control, when the actual word should be 'careered ’ . Cars could theoretically careen, but would have to go onto two wheels to do so . The word was originally used to describe heeling a ship over to remove barnacles and growths from the ships keel . Also Pressurised is used in place of Pressured , as in he pressured me to take action . Pressurised actually means to fill an enclosed vessel with gas . ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/222 "2015-03-01T22:55:28Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Careened is frequently used to describe a vehicle out of control, when the actual word should be 'careered ’ . > Cars could theoretically careen, but would have to go onto two wheels to do so . > The word was originally used to describe heeling a ship over to remove barnacles and growths from the ships keel . > > Also Pressurised is used in place of Pressured , as in he pressured me to take action . > > Pressurised actually means to fill an enclosed vessel with gas . I wonder if this is a Britishism; I haven’t seen or heard it yet on this side. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/223 "2015-03-01T23:05:35Z")
Did anyone mention the confusion around the verbs _intern_ (“to work as an intern”) and _inter_ (“to bury”)? I’ve often heard people say someone was interned when they mean someone was buried. In a slightly different vein, they may say the deceased was “interred there”, while driving past a mortuary. “You mean, they planted him right on their front lawn, beside the Gates Kingsley Gates sign? How about that.” I find it hard not to wax sarcastic about things like this; as they result mainly from people hearing and misusing newsreader cliches. Even when correctly used, they’re still tiresome–words like _inter_, _temblor_, _Pontiff_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/224 "2015-03-02T02:06:02Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Careened is frequently used to describe a vehicle out of control, when the actual word should be 'careered ’ . I was driving down the road one day, when my phone rang. I answered (hands-free, of course) - it was my boss. Boss: ‘Wallaby!’ Wall: ‘Yes, Roo?’ Roo: ‘Good news! Your promotion has come through!’ Wal: ‘Yes!’ (Punches air, grabs wheel to stop car swerving into oncoming traffic). Roo: ‘And we’re putting you in charge of the international division’. Wal: ‘Woo Hoo!’ (Throws arms into air, jams on brakes to avoid running into car in front). Roo: ‘And you’ve been earmarked for the next open Board position’. Wal: (Runs into ditch) Roo: ‘Wal? Wal? Are you all right?’ Wal: ‘No worries Boss.’ ‘I careered off the road’. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/225 "2015-03-02T02:26:51Z")
n/m (re: aluminum. It was discussed on page 2). ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/226 "2015-03-02T03:19:58Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Careened is frequently used to describe a vehicle out of control, when the actual word should be 'careered ’ . I thought careened was used for a car bouncing all over the place – like off the guard rail. If careened means leaning and careered means going at full speed, I guess the bouncy thing is neither. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/227 "2015-03-02T03:30:18Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Careened is frequently used to describe a vehicle out of control, when the actual word should be 'careered ’ . > Cars could theoretically careen, but would have to go onto two wheels to do so . > The word was originally used to describe heeling a ship over to remove barnacles and growths from the ships keel > **[Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data](https://languages.oup.com/)** > > Explore Oxford Languages, the home of world-renowned language data. It’s an American English/British English thing. “[no object]\*\* chiefly North American \*\*Move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction: ‘an electric golf cart careened around the corner’” ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/228 "2015-03-02T04:01:53Z")
Some of my favourites include Moot / Mute - Americans seem to use mute more than moot. Moot of course is the correct word. Solder. Americans say sodder and the the rest of the world says Sole-der Buoy - Americans say boo-eee while the rest of the world says boy ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/229 "2015-03-02T04:06:30Z")
Off topic, but one of my pet annoyances is the mis-use of collision and allision. Collision requires two vehicles / vessels to impact each other. Allision requires only one vehicle/vessel and one stationary object. Ships allide with reefs and bridges. Cars collide with each other and allide with lamp-posts. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Winkler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Winkler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Winkler)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/230 "2015-03-02T05:24:01Z")
A certain demographic pronounces “ask” as “axe” and “asked” as “axed.” And I still here lots of adults talking about getting a book from the “lie-berry.” Also, the n-word ends in “er” and not “a.” How does dropping the ‘r’ somehow make it less offensive? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/231 "2015-03-02T05:30:10Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Ships allide with reefs and bridges. Cars … allide with lamp-posts. Says no one ever. This distinction is not supported by the dictionary. Merriam Webster: > [@](#): > > collide > > : to hit something or each other with strong force : to crash together **or to crash into something** > > Full Definition of COLLIDE > > intransitive verb > 1: to come together with solid or direct impact \< **the car collided with a tree** \> > 2: clash \ Bolding mine. Merriam Webster: > [@](#): > > allide > > The word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary To the extent allide exists at all, it appears to be a rare nautical usage. Using collide instead can’t be considered an error. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/232 "2015-03-02T05:37:23Z")
> [@The\_Winkler](#): > > And I still here I still here too. ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/233 "2015-03-02T05:50:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > To the extent allide exists at all, it appears to be a rare nautical usage. Using collide instead can’t be considered an error. Actually it’s not a rare nautical usage. It’s a commonly used term in shipping of all sorts. Simply do a search on allision - allide is less common. Even the colonial dictionary MW comes up very early in the list > **[Definition of ALLISION](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allision)** > > the action of dashing against or striking upon; the running of one ship upon another ship that is stationary —distinguished from collision… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/234 "2015-03-02T08:51:54Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Actually it’s not a rare nautical usage. It’s a commonly used term in shipping of all sorts. The Oxford English Dictionary says it’s been rare since the middle of the 20th Century. I can’t find a single usage of either the verb or noun in COCA (which goes back about about 30 years for academic texts, I believe), and the Google N-gram shows it to be essentially flat next to _collide_/_collision_. According to [this article](http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-all1.htm) when it’s used at all, it’s used mostly for official documents in the U.S. In any case, I’m not really sure what would be the point of using the verb (instead of _collide_), since the thematic relation (or participant role) of the other thing is going to be expressed anyway (with the prepositional phrase). That probably explains why it’s used so little: It’s just not useful (except to nautical insurance adjusters). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/235 "2015-03-02T18:03:09Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Off topic, but one of my pet annoyances is the mis-use of collision and allision. > > Collision requires two vehicles / vessels to impact each other. > > Allision requires only one vehicle/vessel and one stationary object. > > Ships allide with reefs and bridges. Cars collide with each other and allide with lamp-posts. That’s a fairly obsolescent word outside of legal usages and only used for naval incident, thus a _car_ would collide with a bridge, not allide. > **[Allision](https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Allision)** > > Definition of Allision in the Legal Dictionary by The Free Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/236 "2015-03-02T18:33:39Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Actually it’s not a rare nautical usage. It’s a commonly used term in shipping of all sorts. How is shipping not nautical? > [@](#): > > Simply do a search on allision - allide is less common. Most of the links are to nautical and legal use. Allision has 239,000 hits on Google, collision has 112,000,000. > [@](#): > > Even the colonial dictionary MW comes up very early in the list > > [Allision Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allision) In the unabridged section, indicating that it’s a rare word. I’m a professional writer and editor and also an aficionado of obscure words. I’ve never heard of either. I would guess they are not in the vocabulary of 99.9% of the population. In any case, dictionaries indicate that collide/collision is perfectly correct to refer to the impact between a moving object and a stationary one. The contention that using it is somehow wrong is incorrect. Even if a specialize technical word exists for this in legal nautical contexts, it doesn’t make the normal usage of collision wrong. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/237 "2015-03-02T18:54:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > How is shipping not nautical? I assume they meant as in the transport of goods, even by land-only means. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/238 "2015-03-02T18:59:09Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I assume they meant as in the transport of goods, even by land-only means. If they did, they were wrong. All the references in the first few pages of Google are to maritime/nautical usage. None refer specifically to shipping by land. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/239 "2015-03-02T19:07:33Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If they did, they were wrong. All the references in the first few pages of Google are to maritime/nautical usage. None refer specifically to shipping by land. I’m not shocked. It’s not a term I ever ran into through either land based OR water based shipping in my last job, though I will admit that I never read the full contract or anything, and we only shipped via water a few times a year and never had any accidents. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875/240 "2015-03-05T13:26:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > That’s a fairly obsolescent word outside of … I think “obsolescent” is also pretty obsolescent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supposably-have-mispronounced-words-become-standard/712875.md?page=13)