Butchered expressions. Do you correct the person?

no win wrote:

This is a no win situation. If you correct her, she won't like it. But if you don't nip it in the butt, she'll get mad at you later for not letting her know before she embarrasses herself publicly.

Please tell me you were kidding here.

I can't stand when I hear "supposively", "intensive purposes", or "all of a sudden". Usually they are native english speakers but with a failing grasp on the language. Come on, it's not rocket appliances.

Allow me to play doubles advocate here for a moment. For all intensive purposes I think you are wrong. In an age where false morals are a diamond dozen, true virtues are a blessing in the skies. We often put our false morality on a petal stool like a bunch of pre-Madonnas, but you all seem to be taking something very valuable for granite. So I ask of you to mustard up all the strength you can because it is a doggy dog world out there. Although there is some merit to what you are saying it seems like you have a huge ship on your shoulder. In your argument you seem to throw everything in but the kids Nsync, and even though you are having a feel day with this I am here to bring you back into reality. I have a sick sense when it comes to these types of things. It is almost spooky, because I cannot turn a blonde eye to these glaring flaws in your rhetoric. I have zero taller ants when it comes to people spouting out hate in the name of moral righteousness. You just need to remember what comes around is all around, and when supply and command fails you will be the first to go.

Make my words, when you get down to brass stacks it doesn't take rocket appliances to get two birds stoned at once. It's clear who makes the pants in this relationship, and sometimes you just have to swallow your prize and accept the facts. You might have to come to this conclusion through denial and error but I swear on my mother's mating name that when you put the petal to the medal you will pass with flying carpets like it’s a peach of cake.

Well that should do it. /thread

Careless wrote:

I could care less

Agree. It annoys me to no end when I hear people say this when, in fact, what they mean to convey is that they could NOT care less.

There is only one I can think of that made me physically react. My body would have a small spasm. My mom always said 'rurn' for ruin--pronounced like urn. I only remember it from when I was in my late teens, so I was probably being an a**hole.

thejeff wrote:

not exactly same but wrote:

Hearing someone say 'prostrate cancer' is like hearing nails on a chalkboard.

LOL.

My father in law had it, and he always called it "prostrate cancer". He also like to throw a random "r" in words like "wash" (warsh), etc.

When he was deemed cancer-free, we all celebrated that he finally got the "r" out of his prostrate.

did you mean swallow your prize and expect a fax?

That really tests the metal.

Nothing is worse than when I'm at a restaurant , coffee shop or other service provider and the employee responds to me saying thank you with "No Problem"

It's an epidemic! I can't stand it!

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me, you can't get fooled again.

drg135 wrote:

There is only one I can think of that made me physically react. My body would have a small spasm. My mom always said 'rurn' for ruin--pronounced like urn. I only remember it from when I was in my late teens, so I was probably being an a**hole.

It bottles the mind.

along the same lines but I had a friend once who sent me an email trying to convey something as outrageous but spelt it OUT RAGES

I know some people aren't phased by bad English, but I have such a deep-seeded dislike of butchered expressions that they literally make me explode. This begs the question of how pacifically to point out mistakes. It's not easy but someone has to tow the line and put the breaks on butchered expressions.

On Judge Judy. "She should stop deframing me"

Flagpole wrote:

no win wrote:

This is a no win situation. If you correct her, she won't like it. But if you don't nip it in the butt, she'll get mad at you later for not letting her know before she embarrasses herself publicly.

Please tell me you were kidding here.

I was kidding there.

p.n. wrote:

not sure wrote:

Why this is wrong? It simply means the proof that the method works is that the pudding tastes good at the end.

Let me try!

It's annoying because the actual saying is this: "The proof [that is, the test] of the pudding is in the eating." So it's not how the pudding looks, or how it smells, or how meticulous the preparation was, or how touted the recipe might be--it's how the pudding tastes, and whether you digest it comfortably. It's the actual eating of the pudding that's the real test.

I agree: if you think about it, "the proof is in the pudding" actually makes no sense. I've corrected people on this a couple of times, but a) that's usually a dick move, and b) I think this one is a lost cause.

I understand all that. But what is pudding for? A decoration to look at? No. A room deodorizer to make a nice scent? No. Pudding is for eating. Pudding is a dessert to be eaten. Its purpose is not for looking at it or smelling it. You eat it. The natural implication that doesn't need to be stated is that the end product is eaten. The proof that it's good is when it is eaten. Why do you demand that you must state the word "eating" for the saying to make sense? And the delight of a dessert such as pudding is its sweet taste when eaten. So why do you demand that you must articulate the verb "eating"? It's naturally assumed.

Great thread and interesting post. I have never read or heard anyone say, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" I always hear, "The proof is in the pudding" I don't disagree that proof in the pudding is wrong, just that its never used.

To all the smart alexes out there, don't count your chickens before they come home to roost.

slowpoke PHD wrote:

I can't stand when I hear "supposively", "intensive purposes", or "all of a sudden".

I hope everyone caught the joke here. "All of a sudden" is, in fact, standard English (while the first two expressions are not). The "butchered expression" that one hears with appalling frequency is "all of the sudden," which is NOT standard English.

More people would likely say the expression correctly if they read books. It's usually (Did I say "always"?) correct in those.