Answer: Another thing/think coming?

[randi2204]

carodee asks “Which option in this sentence is correct: ‘if you think ___, you’ve got another thing/think coming.’?”

An interesting question!

Comments

[unfeathered]

Huh. It never ever occurred to me that it might be 'thing'. I mean, 'think' makes sense so that's what it is, right?

But then, it never occurred to me that people could mishear 'then' for 'than' either, until I got into fandom... *g*

[china_shop]

Thank you for this. I always assumed "think" was a typo. I shall stop judging henceforth. ;-)

[diebirchen]

The whole thing makes me crazy, so this will be short and sweet. People are putting into writing what they heard/thought they heard. Another "thing" makes absolutely no sense at all. "If you think that, you've got another "thing" coming. What's the "thing," for goodness' sake? It comes from slurring together the two words rather than making the tiny pause/break to make the words distinct. By slurring them together, the "k" at the end of "think" is combined with the "c" at the start of "coming" into one sound -- the same sound. If you "think" something and you're incorrect, what would you logically have coming? Duh! Another "think," so you could get it right the next time! After a while, it becomes colloquial, and we all have a choice to say what we want in the way we want. However in origin, it's a mistake of careless enunciation and mishearing being translated into a ever more common mistake in writing.

[thistle_chaser]

We're opposites! To me, "another think coming" makes zero sense, it sounds like bad English. "Another thought coming" would sound better.

What's the "thing," for goodness' sake?

It's not [the first thing in the sentence]. Example:

"If you think I'm going to buy that, you have another thing coming!"

In that case, the thing would be 'not buying that'.

"Another think coming" sounds so jarring and wrong to my ear. :/

[diebirchen]

It is bad, or at least, very casual English, and I don't speak that way. I would say, "If you actually think that, you had better think again/rethink the situation." But clumsy though it may be, it makes sense in the context of what is being said. What it means is if you think that (whatever that is) you're wrong, so to figure out your mistake, you should think again (You have another "think"/thinking about it coming necessary to see it correctly. A stupid construction, I grant you, but I repeat: what's the "thing"? It's hardly the way one would want to speak, but of the two, it makes more internal sense. It does to me, anyway.

[thistle_chaser]

Agreed, I'd rather phrase it as you did.

[bsg_aussiegirl]

LOL! I disagree completely with the think! Yes, I'm Australian and yes, we say this all the time, but I've never said 'think' and have never heard anyone say 'think'. (I shall listen more carefully from now on though!) I don't think it makes sense to say 'think' even after reading this! I mean, I understand it, but it still seems completely incorrect. To me, the thing coming is just that! A thing! Something, anything, nothing! But a thing! How can a 'think' even come to a person?

[novakev]

Completely agree with everything you have stated! I'm Canadian and have never heard it as "another think coming". The 'thing' coming might be a change in thought but it still sounds odd to use think as a noun.

[lady_ganesh]

I was so used to 'thing' I was honestly surprised to find that 'think' definitely came first.

[quillaninc]

I'm curious, here - what part of Aus are you in, BSG? I've only ever heard it as 'think', all from SA, VIC, and SW NSW. Could that be regional, too, possibly?

[mendax]

I was astonished to learn it was "another think." And yes, I totally blame Judas Priest. (I loved that song. I am old.)