# Um...I think you've gotten that saying wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130 "2010-08-31T14:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/21 "2010-08-31T16:17:25Z")
Ah, I see. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/22 "2010-08-31T16:22:08Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > There’s a [whole mess of 'em out there.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn) > > I often see - in print - variations of “poured over X” to describe a process of intense scrutinization, instead of the correct “pored over X”. > > Also, “hone in on X” instead of the correct “home in on X.” To “home in” is to move toward a particular destination. To “hone” is to sharpen or refine; “hone in” doesn’t even make sense. And the newscasters keep USING that “hone in” phrase. There are days I wish I had a Nerf brick to throw at the screen, I tells ya. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/23 "2010-08-31T16:31:06Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > My Ex would always say, if we were heading out somewhere early, that we had to get up at the “crack of doom”. I would say _DAWN. DAWN_. He would say DOOM. Every time. It was a telling misuse by Mr Negativity. Oh you mean at dark o’clock? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/24 "2010-08-31T16:37:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Mint\_Julep](#): > > > > He also CANNOT say Vietnamese. It comes out Viet-mah-nese. We are working on it. > > I used to have a coworker who couldn’t say ‘prerequisite’. It came out ‘pre-rek-KWIZZIT?’ She also couldn’t say ‘Wyoming’. It would be ‘Wy-o-min’ (dropping the ‘g’) or ‘Wy-o-MING’ (emphasis on the last syllable). I’d call those legitimate variations of pronunciation–the pieces are in the right place, it’s pretty clear the speaker actually knows what they’re saying–whereas **Mint Julep** ’s example is a garbling. **Siam Sam** is correct about “vicious cycle.” That’s a corruption of a long-standing term (for which the Algonquin Round Table group was named, in pun). This was [covered](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574248) here not too long ago. I guess I’m easy on dialectical pronunciation, hard on usage and syntax. > [@Xema](#): > > “For all intensive purposes” has been steadily rising in popularity. > > Note that there’s a school of thought (well represented on SDMB) that decries “prescriptivism”. I suspect many of these mangled phrases are now common enough that this group would argue they have become fully legitimate. “All intensive purposes” would carry a much narrower meaning than “all intents and purposes,” which would include non-intensive purposes, right? Yet the former, corrupted phrase is used _as if_ it were the original. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/25 "2010-08-31T16:38:52Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Siam Sam, **a** vicious cycle is something that keeps happening. **The** vicious circle is a reference to the [Algonquin Round Table](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquin_Round_Table), Dorothy Parker’s group. ::sticks fingers in ears:: We had this argument recently. I suppose you _could_ call something that keeps happening a vicious cycle, but the term of use for my entire life has been “a vicious circle.” Changing it to “cycle” is the result of people hunting around for the term and deciding “cycle” must fit better, or false etymology. The “hone in on” issue is particularly a pet peeve of mine. I’ve written to the Washington Post about it, along with complaining about their use of a “hoard” (treasure trove) of termites instead of a “horde” (large unruly mob). But my wife got into a huge, unending argument with an acquaintance in a volunteer organization who INSISTED that “hone in on” was correct, this guy eventually resorting to constructions like “because I am narrowing down the choices, it’s like I am sharpening.” But he’s borderline dyslexic and makes other word choice errors, and he never made any serious attempt at a metaphorical explanation until she called him on it and showed him dictionary definitions. It’s a stupid argument to make unless you also say “honing pigeons”, “hone refinancing,” or “hone run,” none of which he does…he was just flat-out wrong but absolutely would not admit it, eventually escalating the argument to the point my wife left the organization rather than let him keep baiting her. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/26 "2010-08-31T16:39:17Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > My Ex would always say, if we were heading out somewhere early, that we had to get up at the “crack of doom”. I would say _DAWN. DAWN_. He would say DOOM. Every time. It was a telling misuse by Mr Negativity. That’s pretty clever, if used _deliberately_ by someone who’s not a morning person. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/27 "2010-08-31T16:59:45Z")
I’m not going to mix words, I’ll just ask straight out – If money were no option, what would you do with your life? ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/28 "2010-08-31T16:59:59Z")
Mrs. Hollister frequently refers to people who have a PhD as having a “doctorine”. She makes so many idiotic screw-ups like that, and I’ve corrected every one. She repeats these in spite of my corrections and I’ve just given up. Other people look at her like the moron that she is. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/29 "2010-08-31T17:00:15Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > There’s a [whole mess of 'em out there.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn) > > I often see - in print - variations of “poured over X” to describe a process of intense scrutinization, instead of the correct “pored over X”. > > Also, “hone in on X” instead of the correct “home in on X.” To “home in” is to move toward a particular destination. To “hone” is to sharpen or refine; “hone in” doesn’t even make sense. “Hone in” makes perfect sense to me. [From this web page…](http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2006/08/hone_in_or_home.html) > [@](#): > > I wish we would hone in on the real issues. > > My meaning is “I wish we would focus on [sharpen our focus on] the real issues.” "\*\*hone in \*\*1. To move or advance toward a target or goal: The missile honed in on the military installation. 2. To direct one’s attention; focus. The lawyer honed in on the gist of the plaintiff’s testimony.. . . . [Hone in, alteration of home in.] (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin, 2006) ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/30 "2010-08-31T17:17:11Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > "\*\*hone in \*\*1. To move or advance toward a target or goal: The missile honed in on the military installation. 2. To direct one’s attention; focus. The lawyer honed in on the gist of the plaintiff’s testimony.. . . . [Hone in, alteration of home in.] > (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin, 2006) But that’s just plain wrong. Maybe they’re describing some level of popular usage they arbitrarily accept as “now it has changed,” but that usage _began_ wrong and IMHO _remains_ wrong. It’s also stupid. You’ll note even those silly descriptivists admit it’s an “alteration of home in.” A missile (as used by the military) _homes_ in, it goes _home_, it seeks a _goal_. No _sharpening_ is involved except as retroactive justification by someone caught saying it wrong. It’s always been “homed in” in the past, and that makes sense, and still has utility. “Honed in” is only used by those who don’t think about the origin of the term and only defended by those who are caught making the mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/31 "2010-08-31T17:23:21Z")
Yeah, hone in is fine. > [@Rafe\_Hollister](#): > > Mrs. Hollister frequently refers to people who have a PhD as having a “doctorine”. She makes so many idiotic screw-ups like that, and I’ve corrected every one. She repeats these in spite of my corrections and I’ve just given up. Other people look at her like the moron that she is. A perfectly rational course of action of you don’t have kids. But if you do, for gods sake, start correcting her again, or she’ll infect _them_. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/32 "2010-08-31T17:35:25Z")
It bothers me when people say “peaked”, as in “My interest was peaked” instead of “piqued” > [@Salem](#): > > My Ex would always say, if we were heading out somewhere early, that we had to get up at the “crack of doom”. I would say _DAWN. DAWN_. He would say DOOM. Every time. It was a telling misuse by Mr Negativity. Perhaps he had to get up early to destroy the One Ring? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/33 "2010-08-31T17:50:22Z")
> [@](#): > > My Ex would always say, if we were heading out somewhere early, that we had to get up at the “crack of doom”. I would say DAWN. DAWN. He would say DOOM. Every time. It was a telling misuse by Mr Negativity. People here keep citing The Lord of the Rings, but it’s worth pointing out that “Crack Of Doom” has its origin in Eschatology. Long before Tolkien co-opted the term (as a physical location) , it meant the beginning of the End of the World. **Salem** ’s Ex might have been trying to be funny, equating the “Crack of Dawn” , when he had to get up, with the “Crack of Doom” signalling the End of All Things, which is undoubtedly how it felt. (When Gabriel’s trumpet blows, I’m definitely hitting the Snooze button, myself). If so, he’s more correct than the Tolkien-commenters here. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/34 "2010-08-31T17:53:52Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > Oh you mean at dark o’clock? That’s o’dark thirty in the military. Also, “home in on” just sounds wrong so it must not be right, right? 😉 ---
**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:** [August 31, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/35 "2010-08-31T17:55:42Z")
> [@](#): > > It bothers me when people say “peaked”, as in “My interest was peaked” instead of “piqued” How can you tell which they are saying, since they’re pronounced the same? mmm ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/36 "2010-08-31T18:00:01Z")
My friend is pregnant, and I found out she can’t pronounce “ovulation” to save her life. It’s always oval-ayshun. Neither me nor her doctor can change her mind. ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/37 "2010-08-31T18:33:59Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Yeah, hone in is fine. > > > [@Rafe\_Hollister](#): > > > > Mrs. Hollister frequently refers to people who have a PhD as having a “doctorine”. She makes so many idiotic screw-ups like that, and I’ve corrected every one. She repeats these in spite of my corrections and I’ve just given up. Other people look at her like the moron that she is. > > A perfectly rational course of action of you don’t have kids. But if you do, for gods sake, start correcting her again, or she’ll infect _them_. > > –Cliffy I make sure the kids are aware of the proper pronunciation. She is a lost cause, however. She had a hearing problem that was surgically corrected when she was 8. She’s now 42 and still blames the hearing problem for her mispronunciation and poor spelling. I’ve told her she’s full of shit, because by that reasoning a deaf person wouldn’t be able to spell anything. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/38 "2010-08-31T18:42:14Z")
People who can’t pronounce “squirrel” can surely find ways to insert many extra consonants, vowels and syllables that the spelling never meant to include. The best I have heard had to have been spelled “srquilerel” or worse. And I have shared before how a buddy I used to play chess with would respond to a tricky move or a trap of mine by saying “that’s not cultured” when I’m pretty sure he meant to say “that’s not kosher.” Another guy who mangled more words and expressions than y’all have time to be bothered with must have encountered the word “subtle” only in print, since he said it “sub tull.” I always had to stifle a cough when he would drop that into conversaion. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/39 "2010-08-31T18:44:59Z")
> [@](#): > > And I have shared before how a buddy I used to play chess with would respond to a tricky move or a trap of mine by saying “that’s not cultured” when I’m pretty sure he meant to say “that’s not kosher.” Sounds like he’s mixing up a translation of the Russian _Nyekulturny_ insult (“Uncultured!”) with “Not Kosher!”. Unless he’s commenting that he thinks no classy person would make a move like the one you did. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130/40 "2010-08-31T18:49:06Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > And I have shared before how a buddy I used to play chess with would respond to a tricky move or a trap of mine by saying “that’s not cultured” when I’m pretty sure he meant to say “that’s not kosher.” Well, there’s a Russian term, nekulturny, an insult which means “uncultured” or “bad mannered.” And the Russians love chess. [cite](http://www.langust.ru/review/xeno-rua.shtml) > [@](#): > > One of the worst insults you can hurl at a Russian is that he is nekulturny (uncultured). Maybe he picked it up from something he read or saw about Russian chess? edit: heh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-i-think-youve-gotten-that-saying-wrong/552130.md?page=3)