# 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:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [December 17, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/81 "2008-12-17T00:18:25Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > This isn’t really a misused phrase but… > > No, you cannot AX me a question…if you need something answered ASK me > > The only think you can AX is my body if you want to kill me, and I’d probably take that over you saying ax This is a common phenomenon in linguistics: transposition. You can go into any pharmacy and ask for a “perscription” and they won’t bat an eye. They won’t look down on you, or consider you a slack-jawed yokel. If you expect every person speaking a certain language everywhere in the world to speak the same way you have an unrealistic view of language. Do you insist that people say [af tən] rather than [af ən]? That’s like expecting everyone in one country to eat the exact same kind of food. Do you expect all Americans to pronounce inter-medial /t/ the same way as though they were announcing on the BBC? What about “water,” versus “bottle,” versus “center”? Even word-final /t/ is typically unreleased when not followed by a vowel sound. It’s language, and just like food, it’s not supposed to be the same everywhere. And besides, the OP was about phrases, not pronunciation. And about “misuse,” which I take to mean that people say things like “that begs the question” when they really mean, “That raises the question.” ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/82 "2008-12-17T11:50:32Z")
I’ve also run across “persay” in several places lately. It took me several seconds to figure out what the writer was trying to communicate: _per se_. :rolleyes: Yes, people need to read more, and not just text messages! Then they would see the words in written form and not confuse the heck out of the rest of us. Or is this just language in action - changing, evolving, adapting. Heaven help us. ETA: When my daughter was in middle school many years ago, I came across some of her notes to friends where she used the term “Sike!” I asked her if she knew that wasn’t how it was spelled. She said, yes, but her friends didn’t, so she spelled it the way they would understand it! Apparently it’s now become acceptable as the spelling? Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/83 "2008-12-17T14:42:00Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > I’ve also run across “persay” in several places lately. It took me several seconds to figure out what the writer was trying to communicate: _per se_. > :rolleyes: Someone on this message board pointed out to me that people often use per se - even when spelt right - to mean something other than “by itself”. I never read it as anything other than that until then, and now everywhere I see it I realize it’s being used wrong about half the time. :mad: ---
**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:** [December 17, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/84 "2008-12-17T16:06:08Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > “It takes two to tangle,” instead of, “It takes two to tango.” Actually, I think “tangle” is probably more apt, and kind of inventive. And it plays with the cliche. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160/85 "2008-12-17T16:16:43Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > “Begging the question.” > > In popular usage, “begging the question” is often used to mean that a statement invites another obvious question. This usage is stated to be incorrect in The Oxford Guide to English Usage, 1st edition; “raises the question” is suggested as a more appropriate alternative. Improper usage of the term often makes the user appear uneducated; this is presumably the opposite effect the user intends by using the term. > > [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10579122&postcount=13)is an example of it being used incorrectly. Begging the question is more or less a form of circular logic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-misused-phrases-have-you-heard/477160.md?page=4)