Expressions people get wrong

Fumbluff

letthegoodtimesroll said:

For me, the one that I’m still not convinced about is ‘bog standard’ and have always considered that a northern derivative of what it should be but which seems to be the accepted phrase yet I’ve always thought that this surely should be ‘box standard’ as in that's the version that comes out of the box.

Isn’t it just a brand of bog, like armitage shanks?

man_at_milletts

Fine words butter no parsnips.

Don't they, who says so?

CharltonPete

The one that annoys me is prostrate instead of prostate as in “why’s grandad got a map of Africa on his trousers?” “He’s got prostrate problems son”

Henry Irving

E-cafc said:

"I won't try and tell you how to suck eggs"

Wtf is that about?

Also know someone who always says..." Yeah, well, it's gotta be 6 of one and 6 of the other"

Variation on "don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs" IE don't try to teach or explain something to a person who is expert in the field.

Good old expression, use it all the time.

Raith_C_Chattonell

Still can't believe that people actually use crayons for colouring in. We had crowns to do that where I grew up.

thai malaysia addick

Wet your appetite
Piece of mind
For all intensive purposes

bellz2002

You must be joking me.

Baldybonce

Bruv

seth plum

The twenty to two train to Tooting tootled tunefully as it tore through the tunnel.

Always pisses me off when people get that wrong.

Henry Irving

"Tender hooks" rather than "tenter hooks"

But as with most of these things if you know what the person means it is no big deal.

Language changes, few, if any, people use tenter hooks now so hear it as tender hooks.

I don't know if this is true but I was told an "apple" was once called a "napple" but "a napple" changed to "an apple" because that is how it sounded.

And where would Charlton fans be without pronunciation driving spelling?

Up the Haddocks?

RedChaser

WIIOTOS sb only one I = It's

Henry Irving

RedChaser said:

WIIOTOS Only one I = It's

That's unforgivable : - )

Stig

Henry Irving said:

"Tender hooks" rather than "tenter hooks"

But as with most of these things if you know what the person means it is no big deal.

Language changes, few, if any, people use tenter hooks now so hear it as tender hooks.

I don't know if this is true but I was told an "apple" was once called a "napple" but "a napple" changed to "an apple" because that is how it sounded.

And where would Charlton fans be without pronunciation driving spelling?

Up the Haddocks?

I suspect this is true, I know that adders were once called nadders.

Henry Irving

Stig said:

Henry Irving said:

"Tender hooks" rather than "tenter hooks"

But as with most of these things if you know what the person means it is no big deal.

Language changes, few, if any, people use tenter hooks now so hear it as tender hooks.

I don't know if this is true but I was told an "apple" was once called a "napple" but "a napple" changed to "an apple" because that is how it sounded.

And where would Charlton fans be without pronunciation driving spelling?

Up the Haddocks?

I suspect this is true, I know that adders were once called nadders.

And going back to Addicks nickname was once an eikname

SuedeAdidas

The proof is in the pudding.

I don't get how this derivation of the saying has come about......because it doesn’t make any sense.

Stig

Just done a little research:

The word apple has at various times been written as nappill, nappylle, napple and naple. These come from the Late Middle English (mid 1400s) or are regional variations. These variations may be linked to Celtic, Baltic, and Slavonic versions of the word which have the 'n' prefix. However the earliest recorded versions of the word in English are without the 'n': æppla (undated), æpples (585), eppel (1225). These are all closer to the original germanic word.

The 'n' preceding adder seems a little different. It appears from historic documents that 'nadder' with an n would have been original: Nædran and nædre (c.1000), neddr (c.1200), naddren (c.1225). Netherfield in Sussex was in 1086 known as Nedrefelle meaning field of adders. The first recorded version of the modern 'adder' is circa 1500.

Horsfield9

JaShea99 said:

North Lower Neil said:

JaShea99 said:

Fumbluff said:

Nobodies arksing you

Nobody's*

He did say it was wrong to be fair, so it's a bit of a mute point.

Yeah fairy nuff.

Shirley that's Furry Muff ?

Stig

SuedeAdidas said:

The proof is in the pudding.

I don't get how this derivation of the saying has come about......because it doesn’t make any sense.

Another modern derivation that doesn't make any sense is, 'you can't have your cake and eat it'. I should be, 'you can't eat your cake and have it'.

IdleHans

Stig said:

Just done a little research:

The word apple has at various times been written as nappill, nappylle, napple and naple. These come from the Late Middle English (mid 1400s) or are regional variations. These variations may be linked to Celtic, Baltic, and Slavonic versions of the word which have the 'n' prefix. However the earliest recorded versions of the word in English are without the 'n': æppla (undated), æpples (585), eppel (1225). These are all closer to the original germanic word.

The 'n' preceding adder seems a little different. It appears from historic documents that 'nadder' with an n would have been original: Nædran and nædre (c.1000), neddr (c.1200), naddren (c.1225). Netherfield in Sussex was in 1086 known as Nedrefelle meaning field of adders. The first recorded version of the modern 'adder' is circa 1500.

I'm sure all this applies to noranges and napricots too

Talal

"I'm not being funny but..."

Not really an expression just annoying. Used to work with a guy who said it multiple times a day, how do people not realise they are saying the same thing over and over?!

IdleHans

I have also recently heard someone say 'fete of complis'

Missed It

I work with someone who takes the phrase "Around the bazaars" (which I hate anyway) and always gets it wrong as "Around the Azores"

Bangkokaddick

"Far and few between" is a particular hate of mine.

I had a boss that was a master of the mixed cliche. There were so many that the staff actually kept a note of them after a while.

A few that spring to mind:

Up a gum tree without a canoe!

I wasn't born yesterday for nothing!

That's what gave the oyster the stomach-ache!

Wandering about like a Dalek that's lost a leg!

And many, many more

Addickted

Off of.

And yes, that includes you Mr Jagger

Addickted

Getting lend/borrow arse about face. It ain't difficult.

Bought and brought also frustrate me - ffs, you don't bruy things in the shops.

Todds_right_hook

It doesn’t happen much on here anymore but the saying “Morgan fox is good” annoyed me. The correct saying is “Morgan fox is terrible”

lordromford

letthegoodtimesroll said:

For me, the one that I’m still not convinced about is ‘bog standard’ and have always considered that a northern derivative of what it should be but which seems to be the accepted phrase yet I’ve always thought that this surely should be ‘box standard’ as in that's the version that comes out of the box.

They talked about this on QI a few years ago. Apparently it was when Hornby (I think) were selling ordinary train sets to poor families and special super-duper versions to rich ones. They, naturally, came in boxes and were thus named, respectively, ‘Box Standard’ and ‘Box Deluxe’.
Stephen Fry confidently asserted that these phrases became commonly used to mean ‘ordinary’ and ‘superior’, but they evolved over time into ‘Bog Standard’ and ‘Dog’s Bollocks’.
Great story if true, particularly the dog’s bollocks bit, but not sure if it’s an urban myth.

stonemuse

lordromford said:

letthegoodtimesroll said:

For me, the one that I’m still not convinced about is ‘bog standard’ and have always considered that a northern derivative of what it should be but which seems to be the accepted phrase yet I’ve always thought that this surely should be ‘box standard’ as in that's the version that comes out of the box.

They talked about this on QI a few years ago. Apparently it was when Hornby (I think) were selling ordinary train sets to poor families and special super-duper versions to rich ones. They, naturally, came in boxes and were thus named, respectively, ‘Box Standard’ and ‘Box Deluxe’.
Stephen Fry confidently asserted that these phrases became commonly used to mean ‘ordinary’ and ‘superior’, but they evolved over time into ‘Bog Standard’ and ‘Dog’s Bollocks’.
Great story if true, particularly the dog’s bollocks bit, but not sure if it’s an urban myth.

Great story

man_at_milletts

I should of realised that this thread was coming!

valleynick66

In a similar way people who can't understand the difference between i.e. and e.g. I see this all too often on business documents such as procedures and requirements specifications where it really should be correct.