# What misused phrases have you heard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160 "2008-12-14T21:03:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/1 "2008-12-14T21:03:40Z")
I’ve run into people using various phrases that they have no idea how to actually spell them. I think they hear certain phrases, and then make a guess on how to spell/pronounce them in an effort to sound erudite. Examples: “wah lah”, a bastardization of **voilà** “re-coop”, for **recoup** Any others? ---
**Author:** ![dactylic\_hexameter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@dactylic\_hexameter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dactylic_hexameter)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/2 "2008-12-14T21:18:51Z")
my most recent favorite? Beacon call. As in, “I don’t live at your every beacon call”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/3 "2008-12-14T21:22:52Z")
How do you pronounce recoup? I’ve said Wal-lah as a joke, but I know folks who think it’s the correct term. The funniest I ever heard was a guy being interviewed on the radio. He wanted to say paradigm, but he pronounced it “puh-RID-i-gum” - at least it was used correctly in context. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/4 "2008-12-14T21:25:49Z")
I think most folks have seen/heard “pre-Madonna” for “[prima donna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prima_donna)” “for all intensive purposes” for “for all intents and purposes” ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/5 "2008-12-14T21:33:18Z")
“taking [something] for granite” ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/6 "2008-12-14T21:39:49Z")
This thread makes me want to post that ASCII of the guy burying his head in his hand in shame. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/7 "2008-12-14T23:21:12Z")
“Try and do” xxx. That drives me nuts. It’s “try **to** do” xxx. Just from a logical standpoint, why try if you know it its going to be done? Also: what’s wrong with re-coop? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/8 "2008-12-14T23:21:43Z")
Back in 8th grade my teacher was telling me how one of my friends was talking about his “point of you” instead of his “point of view” I literally learned in my junior year of college that puffy paint was called such. For my entire life I was calling it “puppy paint”. That’s not exactly what you mean, but it fits enough ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/9 "2008-12-14T23:27:11Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I literally learned in my junior year of college that puffy paint was called such. For my entire life I was calling it “puppy paint”. That’s not exactly what you mean, but it fits enough Sorry, but, what the hell is “puffy paint?” ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/10 "2008-12-14T23:33:31Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Also: what’s wrong with re-coop? While it’s not particularly egregious, said person doesn’t know how to spell “recoup”, and instead attempts to spell it based on phonetics. I like the “pre Madonna”/primadonna example; keep 'em coming! ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/11 "2008-12-14T23:52:53Z")
Using “of” instead of “have” drives me crazy. As in “would of” instead of “would have,” or more likely “would’ve.” When I was teaching freshman English at a university about ten years ago, one of my colleagues’ students wrote that someone was “not the fastest alp in the herd.” ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/12 "2008-12-15T00:09:17Z")
For those of you wondering about “re-coop,” it’s because the OP specified expressions that people know (approximately) in speech, but have no idea what they look like on paper. Recoup is pronounced “re-coop,” but you shouldn’t spell it that way. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/13 "2008-12-15T01:07:47Z")
This doesn’t really count as a phrase, but I’ve heard a few people say “acrost” as in “The store is _acrost_ the street.” 😕 I’ve also heard people pronounce hyperbole as “hyper-bowl”. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/14 "2008-12-15T01:20:55Z")
I have seen “recoup” spelled as “recupe”, presumably the individual thought of the similar word “recuperate” and spelled it accordingly. Also, “esposed to” instead of “supposed to.” “Parabola” pronounced as “pair o’ bola.” And I have heard “caveat” pronounced “kuh-veet” about 100 bajillion times, which is 100 bajillion times too many. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/15 "2008-12-15T01:21:49Z")
I could care less about this thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/16 "2008-12-15T01:22:11Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > “Try and do” xxx. That drives me nuts. It’s “try **to** do” xxx. Just from a logical standpoint, why try if you know it its going to be done? > > Also: what’s wrong with re-coop? “Try and . . .” makes me feel shouty. I don’t think it’s a misused phrase so much as horrible grammar, but whatever. Unless “try and” is immediately followed by “try again” the speaker should be promptly drawn and quartered. Oh, it’s ree-coo. The P is silent. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/17 "2008-12-15T01:29:39Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > “Try and do” xxx. That drives me nuts. It’s “try **to** do” xxx. Just from a logical standpoint, why try if you know it its going to be done? Sorry, forgot to add this to my last post. This [seems](http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxtryand.html) to be an old and accepted (albeit informal/colloquial and sometimes idiomatic) usage. ETA: > [@](#): > > Oh, it’s ree-coo. The P is silent. I hope. No. It is definitely /rI’ku: p/. OED agrees with this, at least. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/18 "2008-12-15T01:30:00Z")
“Kitten caboodle” here on the boards recently. I don’t have the 5 minutes to search it out. Slight hijack: I still don’t like the term, “fi’in’ to” (fixing to) instead of “about to…” or “will soon do…”. ---
**Author:** ![dubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dubs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/19 "2008-12-15T01:33:40Z")
My ex used to pronounce hideous as hide-us. ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/20 "2008-12-15T01:38:33Z")
OP here. To clarify the topic: **Speaker for the Dead** said it best. > [@](#): > > …expressions that people know (approximately) in speech, but have no idea what they look like on paper… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160.md?page=2)