FEATURE: Misused and Abused Phrases
That Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means: Misused and Abused Phrases
Language has a funny way of ingratiating itself on us. Just when you think you have grammar down pat, those sneaky misused and abused phrases pop up to muddy the water.
What are these phrases you ask? They are commonly used expressions that are used incorrectly. Sometimes it's because words are slurred, and sometimes it's because the meanings are slurred. Either way, I've listed a few to help you understand the concept of misused and abused phrases.
Changing the Words
Because we tend to speak fast, and rarely articulately, some of the words and letters in a phrase are slurred together or left out entirely, which leads to substitute words being inserted, and voila! We are left with terms that literally make no sense, but are used constantly in our day to day lives.
Have you ever tried to sing a song you really love, but were unsure of the lyrics? You make up your own - or insert what you think are the correct words - and sing your heart out, regardless if it makes sense or not. That, my friends, is the definition of misused and abused phrases (also known as Mondegreen).
For example, the phrase "Could care less" is a common phrase that is used to convey indifference, but the exact meaning of the phrase specifies that there is a choice on whether to care or not, and the choice is not to. "Couldn't care less" is the correct phrase to use because this truly portrays indifference.
"For all intensive purposes" - This is a very popular phrase and is wrong in the sense that the speaker is talking only about the purposes and how intense said purposes are. The correct phrase is "All intents and purposes" which expresses something that is intended.
"Pass mustard" is another wonderful phrase that is used a lot and is totally wrong unless you want some mustard with your hot dog. The correct phrase is "Pass muster" which means to measure up to required standards.
And apparently many people have selective hearing when it comes to words that sound suspiciously like a specific body part:
"Nip it in the butt" is not correct, and never has been. The correct phrase when referring to stopping something before it gets out of hand is, "Nip it in the bud".
And then there is the ever popular "Butt load", which is used to express a large amount of something. The phrase should be "Boat load", which is more logical and much more polite.
Changing the Meaning
Of course, changing the words is not the only way to misuse or abuse a phrase. There are other examples that started out with a specific meaning, only to end up being used in the wrong sense.
"Begs the question" - This phrase is commonly used by everyone from presidents and senators to journalists and bloggers. It's generally used in reference to raising an important question about an important issue, but in fact it's not really meant to apply to an actual question at all.
Begsthequestion.info states:
"Begging the question" (BTQ) is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself.
In other words, "Begging the question" describes an argument in which the supposed premises are the same as the conclusion, so they don't actually offer any support. When we say that an argument "begs the question," we mean that the reasons offered in support of the idea are just the same as the idea itself, so they don't really offer any support at all.
Another way of describing an argument that begs the question is to say that it simply assumes what it is supposed to prove.
"Women can't be bullfighters, because only men can be bullfighters."
The intended premise - "only men can be bullfighters" - is equivalent in meaning to the conclusion "women can't be bullfighters." Premises are supposed to offer reasons to accept the conclusion - they can't simply restate it.
"Coin a phrase" - Most people use this as another way of saying, "to use an old phrase." But the true meaning is "to invent a new phrase."
Everyone uses the incorrect expressions, even scholars, because these phrases have wormed their way into our culture, used so often that we believe them to be correct. But when you look at each word in the phrase individually, there is something wrong. Just be aware that they're out there, ready and willing to move into your language arsenal, lock, stock and barrel.
And just for fun, this essay goes into great detail on other examples that surprised me with the various words and phrases we take for granted, but are in reality "misused and abused" words. One of my favorites?
My answer to the exclamatory “My, how time flies!” is to quote Austin Dobson’s The Paradox of Time: “Time goes you say? Ah no! Alas, Time stays, we go.”
I had never thought of it in those terms!
Language has a funny way of ingratiating itself on us. Just when you think you have grammar down pat, those sneaky misused and abused phrases pop up to muddy the water.
What are these phrases you ask? They are commonly used expressions that are used incorrectly. Sometimes it's because words are slurred, and sometimes it's because the meanings are slurred. Either way, I've listed a few to help you understand the concept of misused and abused phrases.
Changing the Words
Because we tend to speak fast, and rarely articulately, some of the words and letters in a phrase are slurred together or left out entirely, which leads to substitute words being inserted, and voila! We are left with terms that literally make no sense, but are used constantly in our day to day lives.
Have you ever tried to sing a song you really love, but were unsure of the lyrics? You make up your own - or insert what you think are the correct words - and sing your heart out, regardless if it makes sense or not. That, my friends, is the definition of misused and abused phrases (also known as Mondegreen).
For example, the phrase "Could care less" is a common phrase that is used to convey indifference, but the exact meaning of the phrase specifies that there is a choice on whether to care or not, and the choice is not to. "Couldn't care less" is the correct phrase to use because this truly portrays indifference.
"For all intensive purposes" - This is a very popular phrase and is wrong in the sense that the speaker is talking only about the purposes and how intense said purposes are. The correct phrase is "All intents and purposes" which expresses something that is intended.
"Pass mustard" is another wonderful phrase that is used a lot and is totally wrong unless you want some mustard with your hot dog. The correct phrase is "Pass muster" which means to measure up to required standards.
And apparently many people have selective hearing when it comes to words that sound suspiciously like a specific body part:
"Nip it in the butt" is not correct, and never has been. The correct phrase when referring to stopping something before it gets out of hand is, "Nip it in the bud".
And then there is the ever popular "Butt load", which is used to express a large amount of something. The phrase should be "Boat load", which is more logical and much more polite.
Changing the Meaning
Of course, changing the words is not the only way to misuse or abuse a phrase. There are other examples that started out with a specific meaning, only to end up being used in the wrong sense.
"Begs the question" - This phrase is commonly used by everyone from presidents and senators to journalists and bloggers. It's generally used in reference to raising an important question about an important issue, but in fact it's not really meant to apply to an actual question at all.
Begsthequestion.info states:
"Begging the question" (BTQ) is a form of logical fallacy in which a statement or claim is assumed to be true without evidence other than the statement or claim itself.
In other words, "Begging the question" describes an argument in which the supposed premises are the same as the conclusion, so they don't actually offer any support. When we say that an argument "begs the question," we mean that the reasons offered in support of the idea are just the same as the idea itself, so they don't really offer any support at all.
Another way of describing an argument that begs the question is to say that it simply assumes what it is supposed to prove.
"Women can't be bullfighters, because only men can be bullfighters."
The intended premise - "only men can be bullfighters" - is equivalent in meaning to the conclusion "women can't be bullfighters." Premises are supposed to offer reasons to accept the conclusion - they can't simply restate it.
"Coin a phrase" - Most people use this as another way of saying, "to use an old phrase." But the true meaning is "to invent a new phrase."
Everyone uses the incorrect expressions, even scholars, because these phrases have wormed their way into our culture, used so often that we believe them to be correct. But when you look at each word in the phrase individually, there is something wrong. Just be aware that they're out there, ready and willing to move into your language arsenal, lock, stock and barrel.
And just for fun, this essay goes into great detail on other examples that surprised me with the various words and phrases we take for granted, but are in reality "misused and abused" words. One of my favorites?
My answer to the exclamatory “My, how time flies!” is to quote Austin Dobson’s The Paradox of Time: “Time goes you say? Ah no! Alas, Time stays, we go.”
I had never thought of it in those terms!