# You have got another "thing" or "think" coming? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931 "2012-11-14T00:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/121 "2012-11-14T19:55:57Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > See? Yes. And I’m not really buying that “different” and “another” have different meanings in this case. Claiming that a thing must have a preceding thing in order to use that word seems like really stretching logic. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/122 "2012-11-14T19:56:40Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Are you kidding? “Think coming” has a necessary glotal stop. You can practically hear the needle scratching across the record in the space between those words. > [@njtt](#): > > Well, that is the nub of the problem. That is why people get confused. “Thing” _sounds_ better, so people think it must be right, but in fact it makes no sense, whereas “think”, which _sounds_ awkward (because of the two adjacent **k** sounds), makes good sense. _Thank_ you. I was getting depressed that I had to get 100+ posts in before anyone pointed out the phonetic issue here. Of _course_ casual speech turned the k into a g; it’s easier to say with the following k sound in ‘coming’. As it happens, the word that sounds like ‘thing’ has its own meaning in English, and so people hearing the casually spoken pronunciation thought it was thing and not think. This is not a terribly exceptional or mindblowing instance of language drift. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/123 "2012-11-14T22:25:17Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I never, ever considered the duality or wordplay. I mean, I can see it now, and it makes some sense, but I’ve never interpreted the saying in that manner. Sometimes the initial “think” is implied but not specifically used. > > “You were expecting warm temperatures today? Well, you’ve got another thing coming.” > > “You want pizza tonight? You’ve got another thing coming.” > > In these cases it’s not a question of having another “think” it’s a question of receiving a different result than expected. > > See? Yeah, but I think those constructions miss the point of the idiom. If that’s how you phrase it, ‘thing’ _is_ going to make more sense - but it’s not a particularly memorable turn of phrase. I freely admit I’m biased having grown up with a father who often said “If you think [this], you’ve got another think coming!” To use your last example, he might have said “If you think I’m buying pizza, you’ve got another think coming!” But if he said “You want pizza? You’ve got another think coming” we would have been all “bwah?” ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/124 "2012-11-15T01:12:30Z")
> [@furdmort](#): > > Fixed that for ya. 😉 Changing texts inside quote boxes is verboten on this board, **furdmort**. As per the FAQ, [relevant article](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384736). > [@](#): > > Text inside QUOTE tags is sacrosanct. Normal editorial rules apply: that is, you may indicate omitted portions of a quote by the use of ellipses “…” and you may add text to clarify a word using square brackets (e.g., “her [the sister’s] friend”), but you may \*\*not \*\*add editorial comments or edit a quote so as to change the substantive meaning; nor may you substitute text such as “some blather” or “more nonsense” inside the QUOTE tags. Further, from the same link: > [@](#): > > Falsely attributing a quote to another user, or modifying another’s post in order to cast him/her in a bad light, even if meant in jest, is grounds for revocation of your posting privileges. Since you’re still somewhat new to our forum, you are due a measure of slack. But don’t do this again, and please take the time to read up on the forum FAQ. - Gukumatz, IMHO Moderator. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/125 "2012-11-15T02:18:31Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Yeah, but I think those constructions miss the point of the idiom. If that’s how you phrase it, ‘thing’ _is_ going to make more sense - but it’s not a particularly memorable turn of phrase. > > I freely admit I’m biased having grown up with a father who often said “If you think [this], you’ve got another think coming!” To use your last example, he might have said “If you think I’m buying pizza, you’ve got another think coming!” But if he said “You want pizza? You’ve got another think coming” we would have been all “bwah?” And so there it is. A clash of cultures. What’s really astounding is that my parents were Scottish, and still it was “thing.” Hang on; I’m gonna email me mum. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/126 "2012-11-15T02:33:04Z")
I capitulate. Me own Scottish mum says “think.” Drats! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/127 "2012-11-15T04:14:21Z")
Taking a slight tangent here: Whatever one’s opinion on think vs. thing is, it’s clear that thing is an eggcorn; a corruption of the original based on sounding alike. What other eggcorns do people prefer to the original for “good” reasons? I posit “Once more unto the breech.” The real phrase uses breach of course, but I always preferred the visual of being loaded into a cannon to that of storming into a hole in a castle wall. It still lends itself to the same meaning as the original. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/128 "2012-11-15T04:16:05Z")
Originally it was kind of a play on the word. If you THINK that, you have another THINK coming. (Because your first THINK was wrong.) Now it’s just buzzwords repeated by dumb people who don’t care what they’re saying, so “thing” works adequately well, particularly since no one can enunciate any more. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/129 "2012-11-15T08:36:12Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Yes it does, but when prefaced with “If you think X”, which is the phrase we’re talking about, then it comes across as a non-sequitur. It’s a set-up/punchline turn of phrase that suddenly derails and skids to a halt without delivering. It’s unsatisfying. It’s catchphrasus interruptus. It is the Diet Coke of idiom. This is a very precise description of how I feel about the phrase with the use of “thing”. It makes it a sad, sad phrase. And you would always have to scream at the person saying it: “What thing??!” Because it could be anything. Anything at all could be coming. A fist in the face instead of your girlfriend, sprouts instead of spaghetti, Ron Paul instead of Obama. What a terrifying perspective. I’d rather just have another think on it. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/130 "2012-11-15T09:23:01Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Well, that is the nub of the problem. That is why people get confused. “Thing” _sounds_ better, so people think it must be right, but in fact it makes no sense, whereas “think”, which _sounds_ awkward (because of the two adjacent **k** sounds), makes good sense. If it sounded awkward people wouldn’t say it. The whole \*point \*of common phrases and aphorisms is that they fall trippingly from the tongue. Can you think of one that doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/131 "2012-11-15T10:56:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > This thread reminds me of those who snicker at the ignorance of those who say duck tape. [Indeed.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape) And ironically “duct tape”, while useful in so many ways, is terrible for use on ducts. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/132 "2012-11-15T11:33:47Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Indeed.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape) And ironically “duct tape”, while useful in so many ways, is terrible for use on ducts. Say what? My cooker hood duct is held in place very nicely with duct tape, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/133 "2012-11-15T12:23:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Indeed.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape) And ironically “duct tape”, while useful in so many ways, is terrible for use on ducts. Normally, I’d disagree, but in this case I’m gonna duct the question. As in D&R. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/134 "2012-11-15T13:26:18Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Indeed.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape) And ironically “duct tape”, while useful in so many ways, is terrible for use on ducts. It’s not exactly ideal on ducks either. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/135 "2012-11-15T13:27:39Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If it sounded awkward people wouldn’t say it. The whole \*point \*of common phrases and aphorisms is that they fall trippingly from the tongue. Can you think of one that doesn’t? Many a mickle maks a muckle. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/136 "2012-11-15T14:02:14Z")
Duct tape is pretty much never the best tape for any job. There is a brand of the tape called Duck Tape, with a picture of a duck on the label, so now all those wrong people can just capitalize and carry on. Like Gracer, I always assumed people who said “thing” were illiterate, and was surprised at the extent of this misconception. When you learn language primarily in spoken form, these types of errors can occur, while the original remains correctly written in books. The phrase is meant to be somewhat humorous, and with “thing,” the joke’s on you. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/137 "2012-11-15T14:21:01Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Duct tape is pretty much never the best tape for any job. There is a brand of the tape called Duck Tape, with a picture of a duck on the label, so now all those wrong people can just capitalize and carry on. They may not be all [that wrong.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape) ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/138 "2012-11-15T14:47:56Z")
I get the cotton duck connection, but the tape isn’t made of cotton duck. If we go ahead and call it “duck tape” anyway, what would we call the original tape? The ancestral cotton duck tape led to a different tape with a different use, primarily holding things temporarily while leaving a permanent residue. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/139 "2012-11-15T15:00:33Z")
If you order two ducks in a restaurant, and you think you’ve just finished one, then you’ve got another duck coming. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931/140 "2012-11-15T15:05:59Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > This is a very precise description of how I feel about the phrase with the use of “thing”. It makes it a sad, sad phrase. > > And you would always have to scream at the person saying it: “What thing??!” Because it could be anything. Anything at all could be coming. A fist in the face instead of your girlfriend, sprouts instead of spaghetti, Ron Paul instead of Obama. What a terrifying perspective. I’d rather just have another think on it. Exactly, it’s used as a vaguely threatening but unspecified consequence, that will happen when you prove to be sorely mistaken. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-got-another-thing-or-think-coming/640931.md?page=8)