No one is immune from screwing up expressions from time to time – not even us writers. Sometimes these phrases make it into print (as it were). When I come across one, I wince in pain, or in the following case, laugh out loud.
In a recent news article about Curt Schilling getting fired from ESPN for a social media post, he was quoted as saying, “This latest brew ha ha is beyond hilarious.” I beg to differ. When I read it, it was hilarious. Of course he meant “brouhaha.”
Here are a few common phrases that people often get wrong:
Wrong: “For all intensive purposes.”
Right: “For all intents and purposes.”
Wrong: “It peaked my interest.”
Right: “It piqued my interest.”
Wrong: “One in the same.”
Right: “One and the same.”
Wrong: “At my beckon call.”
Right: “At my beck and call.”
Wrong: “I wait with baited breath.”
Right: “I wait with bated breath.”
Wrong: “He made us tow the line.”
Right: “He made us toe the line.”
So be careful when you write for publication. Check and re-check phrases if you’re the least bit unsure of the correct form.
(c) 2016 Margie Dana
Here’s some good news for printers who can’t come up with topics to blog about or write about in their newsletters: