10 Commonly Mispronounced Phrases That Make Smart People Look Uneducated
The English language can be tricky, after all.
SofikoS | Shutterstock When it comes to acquiring new skills, everyone learns in different ways. Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner popularized the idea that there are multiple intelligences, saying there are three main categories of learning that people fall into: auditory learning, visual learning, and kinesthetic learning.
While some people process new information through listening, others need to see it written down or take a tactile approach. But one style of learning isn’t any better than another, as everyone has unique intellectual strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately, there are many commonly mispronounced phrases that make smart people look uneducated. Because even gifted people struggle with certain facets of language.
Here are 10 commonly mispronounced phrases that make smart people look uneducated
1. 'Mute point'
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"Mute point" is a commonly mispronounced phrase that makes smart people look uneducated. The correct iteration of the phrase is "moot point," which refers to a point or opinion that holds no importance or is only hypothetical.
While the "mute" sounds almost exactly like "moot," the meanings of the two words differ. The word "mute" means silent, while "moot" means unimportant or hypothetical. In its original use as a descriptive adjective, "moot" meant arguable or up for debate, yet its meaning changed around 1900, due to law schools in the United States using "moot" cases for their students to practice arguing.
On the surface, making a mute point almost makes sense, but the more you think about it, the less water that commonly mispronounced phrase actually holds.
2. 'On tender hooks'
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Being "on tender hooks" is another commonly mispronounced phrase that makes smart people look uneducated. The correct phrase is "on tenterhooks," which sounds so similar to the made-up word "tenderhooks" that mispronouncing it is totally understandable, especially since "tenterhooks" is a word we no longer use, outside of this specific phrase.
When a person is on tenterhooks, it means they're waiting with suspense and anxiety for something to happen. The word "tenterhook" originated in the 15th century, referring to "a hook for holding or stretching cloth on a tenter." A "tenter" was a frame used to stretch cloth so it dried evenly, without shrinking.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the phrase "on tenterhooks" was used as a figurative reference to something that strained or inflicted pain. "To be on the tenter" was synonymous with being "on the rack," a popular torture device of the time.
In its current use, being on tenterhooks means being in distress or in suspense, which can certainly feel like a form of torture, although it's way less gruesome than having your limbs pulled from your body.
3. 'Biting my time'
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"Biting my time" is a commonly mispronounced phrase that makes smart people look uneducated. The correct phrase is "biding my time," which admittedly sounds almost exactly like biting, only one word makes sense and the other certainly does not.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "to bide" is a transitive verb that means "to wait for." The word "bide" is used almost exclusively in the phrase "to bide one's time," which means waiting patiently for an opportunity to present itself.
"Biting my time" is an example of an eggcorn, which is a linguistic term referring to a misheard word or phrase that's used in a seemingly plausible way, in place of the correct expression. The word "eggcorn" stems from mishearing the word "acorn." Eggcorns show how fluid and malleable modern language can be, as certain eggcorns have been adopted as acceptable versions of a phrase.
While you might be able to bide your time, you can't actually bite your time, as satisfying as that would be.
4. 'Chock it up'
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The correct phrase is "chalk it up," which means to give credit to someone. This idiom comes from the 16th century, back when any mention of calculators or smartphones would get you locked away for being a witch.
"Chalk it up" refers to the act of writing debts in actual chalk, something that hasn't been done in the modern world since Gen X was still in school. While "chock" and "chalk" sound almost interchangeable, the words hold different meanings.
A "chock" is a wooden block you might put behind the wheels of a horse-drawn carriage to stop it from rolling away, back in 16th century, as you waited for the clerk at the general store to tally up your bags of grain and the jaunty hat you bought to impress the maidens at the ball.
5. 'Waiting with baited breath'
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"Waiting with baited breath" is another commonly mispronounced phrase that makes smart people look uneducated. If a person is waiting with "baited" breath, it means they're waiting around with worms in their mouth, as though they were going to catch a fish in a very visceral way, as "bait" refers to something used to lure animals into a trap. "Waiting with bated breath" is the correct phrase, which means being in a nervous or excited state of anticipation.
The New York Times noted that "bated" is a shortened version of the word "abate," from the Old French word "abbatre," which means to beat down. In modern usage, abate means to "moderate subside, reduce, or ebb."
Like so many English phrases, the person who came up with the phrase "bated breath" was none other than William Shakespeare. He used the phrase in "The Merchant of Venice," which he wrote in 1596. The wordsmith that he was, Shakespeare might have found the humor in the incorrect phrase "baited breath," which is basically a creative way of telling someone they have fish breath.
6. 'Extract revenge'
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The saying "extract revenge" is a commonly mispronounced phrase and is an example of an eggcorn, as the misheard version basically keeps its original meaning. The correct term is "exact revenge," which means to inflict pain or punishment on someone who's caused you harm.
Within this phrase, the word "exact" is used as a verb, meaning to demand or get something through force. "Exact" has its roots in the Latin word "exactus," which means enforce, demand, or collect payment. "Revenge" comes from the Old French word "revengier," which means to avenge.
The idea of extracting revenge conjures the image of a dentist removing a tooth. While it almost makes sense that someone would extract revenge, it's not actually correct, and using it can make even smart people look uneducated.
7. 'Pre-Madonna'
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While the phrase "pre-Madonna" would refer to an era before American pop legend Madonna Louise Ciccone existed, the correct phrase is actually "prima donna."
According to its literal definition, a "prima donna" refers to the main female singer in an opera, derived from the Italian "first lady." This usage dates back to 1782, but by 1834, the phrase "prima donna" was being used to call people out for acting temperamental.
While the concept of an entitled person making specific demands does tie into the existence of the one and only Material Girl, the phrase "pre-Madonna" isn't the same as "prima donna."
8. 'Another thing coming'
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While most people declare that someone has "another thing coming" when they believe that person is wrong and should reconsider their stance, the correct phrase is "another think coming."
NPR librarian Kee Malesky explained on a 2013 episode of Weekend Edition that "the original phrase was 'to have another think coming,' meaning, to be greatly mistaken." The phrase was used in an 1898 edition of the newspaper The Quincy Whig, as a very old person who no longer exists wrote, "Chicago thinks it wants a new charter. Chicago has another think coming. It doesn't need a new charter as much as it needs some honest officials."
Yet, as NPR noted, even President Obama mispronounced the phrase in a New Year's Eve address, made while negotiating the fiscal cliff. President Obama told Republicans that any government spending cuts would come with tax increases, and if they disagreed, "then they've got another thing coming."
President Obama's mispronunciation put a spotlight on how easy it is to hear one thing and say another, like "thing," when you really mean "think."
9. 'Wreck havoc'
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The correct phrase is to "wreak havoc." While "wreck" and "wreak" sound almost the same, "wreck" means to ruin or destroy, and "wreak" means to inflict something horrible on someone or something.
"Wreak" comes from the Old English word "wrecan," which means "to avenge." The word "havoc" was a military order, yelled out to soldiers as an instruction to pillage a town or battlefield. Now that pillaging has gone out of style, we use "havoc" to mean purposeful destruction or a violent disturbance.
While "wreck havoc" sounds almost correct, when you break it down word by word, the phrase makes no sense: It means to destroy destruction, which might be possible in an existential sense, but doesn't hold any practical meaning.
10. 'Pass mustard'
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"Pass mustard" is a commonly mispronounced phrase that makes smart people look uneducated, since they mean to say "pass muster" instead of asking for a condiment that tastes good on hot dogs.
When something passes muster, it meets a requirement or standard. The phrase is usually used in reference to a review or an inspection. A car has to pass muster at the mechanic to be allowed on the road, while a person needs to pass mustard to anyone who asks for it, especially when hot dogs are involved.
These commonly mispronounced phrases are almost universally understood, even when they're said incorrectly, which highlights how language is a living entity. Words and phrases are always evolving, even when mispronouncing them makes smart people look uneducated.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.