Your Saying It Bad WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR
Ahhhh, the mighty eggcorn. You may have never heard this word spoken, but its meaning is relevant to every human tongue. Eggcorns are frauds—misconstrued words created from a misunderstanding or mishearing of the actual thing. People have butchered some terms and expressions for so long that it’s actually more common to say them incorrectly. Before you feel judgment as you read the following list of the commonly misspoken, please know that I have my own issues. This is written by a girl who perpetually, by accident utters, “hit the nail on the hammer,” instead of “hit the nail on the head.” Are you guilty of the following speech crimes? It’s never too late to retrain your brain and trade in your eggcorns for the real steal.
Abused expressions:
Nip it in the butt
WRONG: For all intensive purposes RIGHT: For all intents and purposes Thine ears are full of trickery and doth deceive you. This eggcorn takes the cape. This phrase was originally taken from “to all intents, constructions and purposes” from sixteenth century English law. It essentially means “virtually” or “in every practical sense.” WRONG: Nip it in the butt RIGHT: Nip it in the bud You’re nipping what in a butt? Nipping something “in the bud” doesn’t sound any more reassuring. This phrase was first recorded in the 1600s, and to “nip something in the bud” means to kill or destroy in the first stage of growth.
WRONG: Case and point RIGHT: Case in point
I’ve said this incorrectly for 30 years. I am 30 years old. This phrase isn’t that dramatic of an error, but the next time you need to emphasize that what you said is true, try to remember your case is “in” the point you just made.
10 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
