this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2025
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Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used, what the phrase is, and what it should be.

Example:

In America, recently came across "back-petal", instead of back-pedal. Also, still hearing "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes".

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[–] MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (3 children)

"The proof is in the pudding."

The actual phrase is: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

It means that your dessert might look and smell delicious, but if you fucked up the recipe, say by using salt instead of sugar, then it will taste bad. You won't know for sure until you eat it. So, a plan might look good on paper but be a disaster when implemented.

"The proof is in the pudding" doesn't mean anything.

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[–] viralJ@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (7 children)

I'm not entirely against it, but I'm amused by how common it is to put "whole" inside of "another", making it "a whole nother". Can anyone give any other use of the word "nother"?

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Maybe it works like fucking

A-fucking-nother

A-whole-nother

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[–] hakase@lemm.ee 10 points 1 week ago (7 children)

This entire thread is /c/badlinguistics

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[–] Bronzebeard@lemm.ee 10 points 1 week ago (4 children)

The "positive anymore" is a vile grammatical abomination spawning from the Midwest US.

Normally using the word anymore has a negative tone to it (I don't eat meat anymore) . Except when used in this manner which seems to be when they should instead be saying currently or nowadays.

I find it viscerally unappealing.

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[–] mkhopper@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (6 children)

"Seen".
Holy fuck, "seen".

I honestly think that using this word incorrectly has gotten worse over the last few years. Hearing someone say, "yeah, I seen her yesterday" just makes me want to punch the wall.

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[–] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

In American English:

I left them know

I'm just leaving you know

No, no, a thousand times no!

You LET them know. You're just LETTING me know.

Also, they were driving and hit the breaks. Their car needed new break pads.

Just letting y'all know, it's BRAKES that stop a vehicle.

If the vehicle breaks, it'll stop, but that's not the system built into the car that makes it stop on purpose at the press of a pedal.

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[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Having made some of these mistakes, I tend not to be rigid about them. But here are some fun ones.

  • on line vs in line
  • to graduate vs to be graduated
  • antivenom vs antivenin

All of the above have been normalized, but at one time was not.

Another quirk, we used to not call former Presidents President So and So. We used to call them by their highest position before president. So it would be Senator Obama and not President Obama.

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[–] Kagu@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

"that begs the question". I wish people would just use the more correct "raises the question", especially people doing educational/academic content. I hear it across the English-speaking internet

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[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 8 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I know someone that says 'Pacific' instead of 'specific'. The man has his talents & his place in the world, food man, but yes that is infuriating.

[–] tyrefyre@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I know someone who calls it the “Specific Ocean”

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[–] Today@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

"If" with nothing before it after it. If you'll call me back... That means nothing! If you call me then we can talk. I would appreciate it if you would call me back.

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