When you say X, there is a good chance you mean Y …

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Ruben

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When you say "I could care less", there is a good chance you mean "I couldn't care less".

What are common things that people say although they mean something else? This could be for example due to an erroneous understanding of a word or phrase or due to conventions of politeness.
 
When you say "should of", there is a really good chance that you mean "should have".
 
This is more than likely not what you are looking for, but... A lot of people use the common idiom "you can't have your cake and eat it, too." But the original idiom was "you can't eat your cake and have it, too." which makes a heck of a lot more sense.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
This is more than likely not what you are looking for, but... A lot of people use the common idiom "you can't have your cake and eat it, too." But the original idiom was "you can't eat your cake and have it, too." which makes a heck of a lot more sense.
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It's a great example and exactly what I'm looking for. :)
 
Ruben said:
When you say "I could care less", there is a good chance you mean "I couldn't care less".

What are common things that people say although they mean something else? This could be for example due to an erroneous understanding of a word or phrase or due to conventions of politeness.
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"I could care less" is actually correct, too.
 
Sedirae said:
"I could care less" is actually correct, too.
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It would only be correct if you're trying to imply that you could care less but you do care at least a little. If you're wanting to imply that you do not care even a little bit, then "I couldn't care less." would be correct.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
It would only be correct if you're trying to imply that you could care less but you do care at least a little. If you're wanting to imply that you do not care even a little bit, then "I couldn't care less." would be correct.
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I always thought that, too, especially since it really annoyed me that one of the songs of my favorite band is called "I could care less" and it sounds wrong.
But then I got lectured by some arrogant prick that "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" are actually considered synonymous. Mainly due to constant misuse, but also because "I could care less" is considered the american version.
And now I got to share the lecture. Damn.
 
Sedirae said:
And now I got to share the lecture. Damn.
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I'd like see it. If we're wrong, then we're wrong. But as far as I'm aware saying that something is so misused that it is now considered correct, doesn't sit right with me. It would be like trying to convince me that "2 (2 + 2) = 6" rather than equaling 8, which is a common mistake that people make, is now mathematically correct just because so many people make this error.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
I'd like see it. If we're wrong, then we're wrong. But as far as I'm aware saying that something is so misused that it is now considered correct, doesn't sit right with me. It would be like trying to convince me that "2 (2 + 2) = 6" rather than equaling 8, which is a common mistake that people make, is now mathematically correct just because so many people make this error.
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Well, I think your example isn't the best one, since grammar and mathematics are not the same, but I get your meaning.
Now, next point, I just want to say, that I just wanted to nitpick and not to engage in a full blown discussion about this, since this isn't really important.
But since you asked for something and I can't hand you that arrogant guy who lectured me some years ago, I'll link you Merriam-Websters oppinion on the matter and hope we can accept that "I could care less" sounds wrong and none of us likes it, but it is, technically, ok to use it.
 
Interesting. I belong to the kind of people who really dislike when incorrectly used phrases suddenly are considered to be right. I mean, it's not a case of "taught" vs. "teached", where the latter is historically wrong, but modeled like a regular verb and easily understandable. I wouldn't mind "teached" becoming correct. But "I could care less" meaning the same as "I couldn't care less" ... that sucks. It's literally wrong.
 
Apropos, when people say "literally", they often mean figuratively.
 
Oh, and "We won" in relation to sports. No, "we" did nothing, we includes the speaker, you had nothing to do with the win, you weren't even playing, THEY won.
 
Hollywood is particularly guilty of this one. "Soda" is regional dialect and makes you sound like a blithering idiot anywhere but the west coast and new england. If a show or movie is set in the midwest your characters should be saying "pop", or if set in Texas the wackos down there call everything, even Pepsi, "Coke".

Small list of shows corrupted by hollywood's stupidity:
Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Married with Children; all set in Chicago where the correct pop is used
Home Improvement; Detroit, gain pop
Parks & Rec; fictional southern Indiana town, again, POP

spcMap-640x436.png
 
saddlebum66 said:
"Our Team" Implies We
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So you're a part owner of the team? You share in the profit and have a say in the actions of the team?

No? Then "our" is still wrong. Being a fan of or simply living in the same city/state that the team calls home does not make you a part of the team.
 
dartel said:
Hollywood is particularly guilty of this one. "Soda" is regional dialect and makes you sound like a blithering idiot anywhere but the west coast and new england. If a show or movie is set in the midwest your characters should be saying "pop", or if set in Texas the wackos down there call everything, even Pepsi, "Coke".

Small list of shows corrupted by hollywood's stupidity:
Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Married with Children; all set in Chicago where the correct pop is used
Home Improvement; Detroit, gain pop
Parks & Rec; fictional southern Indiana town, again, POP

spcMap-640x436.png
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Soda is any fluid water that effervesces. Many are toxic. Even the Vaunted Perrier contains arsenic. The carbonation creates an acidic state that dissolves mineral. The usage as a word was properly "soda water", even into the 60s
 
dartel said:
So you're a part owner of the team? You share in the profit and have a say in the actions of the team?

No? Then "our" is still wrong. Being a fan of or simply living in the same city/state that the team calls home does not make you a part of the team.
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No....The team represents a larger group. If it did not have the support of that group, it would not exist for long...ergo our team, our side, our Army.
 
And regionality does have its finer points...As "If I'd knowed that was you, I'd have retch out and wove" or the classic response to being told to behave...."I'm BEing have!".
 
dartel said:
Oh, and "We won" in relation to sports. No, "we" did nothing, we includes the speaker, you had nothing to do with the win, you weren't even playing, THEY won.
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Many sport teams consider the core fanbase as part of the team, since they're supporting the team with money, time and participation.
 
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