Every few months I have to remind myself which one means which between subjectively and objectively. So I never use those words just in case I've got them mixed up. And there's no clue in the words either.
I looked up the phrase 'pushing the envelope' too as it sounds cool. Something to do with NASA. I like things when they're something to do with NASA.
Quote: Jane Perrin @ March 6 2009, 6:15 AM GMTI thought the expression was 'If that's what you think, you've got another thing coming'. Even though I recently found out it was 'You've got another think coming' which actually makes sense, the first still sounds better to me.
I always thought it was "thing" not "think". Isn't it?
I've also got into the habit of saying infer when I mean imply.
Quote: Badge @ March 7 2009, 2:04 AM GMTI always thought it was "thing" not "think". Isn't it?
I've also got into the habit of saying infer when I mean imply.
Hi Badge
Having delved further there are many debates on the think/ thing issue. It would appear that think was the original as in 'You've had one think, now you will have a second'. But I suspect because of the two 'k' sounds together people either misheard or thought it sounded better as thing.
There are a few things people say that irritate me, such as:
"Literally" - when they don't mean literally at all.
"At the end of the day" - I blame footballers and pop stars for this one.
"Myself" - there seems to be an epidemic of using 'myself' instead of "I" recently.
I wonder why people (i.e. me) get so irritated by these things? Does it really matter? No doubt I make plenty of mistakes myself.
Jx
I actually pride myself on having a fairly big vocabulary. This is partly due to the battery-powered dictionary someone bought me, about 12 years ago. As for not knowing the meaning of certain words, one incident always sticks out for me. I was in an I.T. lesson, when I was 16, and my teacher kept saying "scenario". I looked around the class, and realised I was the only person that didn't know the meaning of the word. I felt like a right idiot, because I'd been hearing the word for years, but had just never asked anyone what it meant.
By the way, as well as having a pretty big vocabulary of English words, I also know a lot about Ebonics, which, if you didn't know, is African American slang. Most people think these words are just the meaningless creations of kids, but some words actually have quite an interesting etymology. One such word is "Mack". Most of you will be familiar with the word from the awful Mark Morrison song, from about 10 years ago, called 'Return of the Mack', but did you know that the word is actually a shortened version of Mackerel, as in fish? The reason for this, is that male Mackerels will often act as a matchmaker, for other males, guiding would-be female mates to them. The sight of this phenomenon led some African Americans to compare these Mackerels to Pimps, and soon the word was in commen use, when referring to Pimps. In fact, there was a Blaxploitation film, starring Richard Pryor, made in the early '70s, about Pimps, which was called 'The Mack'. Anyway, as Pimps were often admired in poor black neighbourhoods, for having money and expensive clothes, the word "Mack" soon became seen as a complement, which is why these days, it's mostly used to describe a bloke who is popular with women.
Quote: catskillz @ March 7 2009, 7:14 AM GMTthe word "Mack" soon became seen as a complement, which is why these days, it's mostly used to describe a bloke who is popular with women.
As in "Lee"
I love my best mate but he constantly says "halogen days" instead of "halcyon days", despite my correcting him every time.
He also calls chimneys "chimbleys", and skeletons "skellingtons". He also says "hands and feet above the rest" instead of "head and shoulders". However a quick Google search returned 649 sites containing that exact phrase so maybe it's me in the wrong. But it can't be right surely? It makes no sense!
Quote: Badge @ March 7 2009, 11:20 AM GMTAs in "Lee"
Someone I know always says "Spending money like a man with no arms" but they always refer to a person spending wildly, whereas in my mind it should refer to someone really tight as a man with no arms isn't going to be reaching into his wallet that often.
Anyone know the correct use of that?
Quote: SlagA @ March 7 2009, 11:59 AM GMTSomeone I know always says "Spending money like a man with no arms" but they always refer to a person spending wildly, whereas in my mind it should refer to someone really tight as a man with no arms isn't going to be reaching into his wallet that often.
Anyone know the correct use of that?
Perhaps he misheard 'qualms'? As in, someone with no qualms about spending huge amounts of money.
Quote: Lee Henman @ March 6 2009, 2:59 AM GMTThere're tons of words I drop into conversations that I really shouldn't, because I'm not entirely positive I'm using them in the right context. This is why if I was ever to meet Stephen Fry I'd probably become conveniently mute.
I heard 'fesicious' on Dr Who once. I use it all the time yet I am still oblivious to it's hidden meaning.
I don't understand the phrase 'Couldn't do it for peanuts', surely something like 'Couldn't do it for my weight in gold' would be better? 
People who can't tell the difference between 'borrow' and 'lend' really piss me off!! 
When ever anyone says "Can I lend a fiver?" I always say "No thanks, I hate being in debt" and they look at me like "Wert?" and I'll explain the difference and then they're like "Fesicious bitch" and I'll smile as I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing?
Quote: SlagA @ March 7 2009, 11:59 AM GMTSomeone I know always says "Spending money like a man with no arms" but they always refer to a person spending wildly, whereas in my mind it should refer to someone really tight as a man with no arms isn't going to be reaching into his wallet that often.
Anyone know the correct use of that?
Not heard that one. I've heard of having short arms and deep pockets for someone who is a miser.
A facetious person is someone who jokes inappropriately, I think?
Quote: Princess Pancake @ March 11 2009, 4:51 PM GMTI heard 'fesicious' on Dr Who once. I use it all the time yet I am still oblivious to it's hidden meaning.
... and they look at me like "Wert?" and I'll explain the difference and then they're like "Fesicious bitch" and I'll smile as I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing?
I think maybe you mean facetious.
Quote: Geoff Mutton @ March 6 2009, 6:55 AM GMTWhere did the expression "Hell to pay" come from?
How much do you pay and where do you send it?
I thought that was like you pay the ferryman to get to hell. Which makes no sense. So now I've laid naked my ignorance I'll go find out.
Quote: roscoff @ March 11 2009, 11:46 PM GMTI thought that was like you pay the ferryman to get to hell. Which makes no sense. So now I've laid naked my ignorance I'll go find out.
the devil to pay and no pitch hot - a dreaded task or punishment, or a vital task to do now with no resource available - the expression is connected to and probably gave rise to 'hell to pay', which more broadly alludes to unpleasant consequences or punishment. Neither expression - devil to pay/hell to pay - directly refer to hell, devil or paying in a monetary sense. Instead hell or devil refers to ship's planking, and pay refers to sealing the planking with pitch or tar. Specifically devil to pay and hell to pay are based on a maritime maintenance job which was dangerous and unwelcome - notably having to seal the ship's hull lower planking (the 'devil', so-called due to its inaccessibility) with tar.
Not even close