Have you ever heard of an egghorn or a mondegreen? They are basically misheard phrases. For example, which of these two is correct:
"I can't believe people still act that way in this day and age." or "I can't believe people still act that way in this day in age."? It's the first one! "Day in age" is just a nonsensical egghorn - a misheard version of the cliched phrase "day and age" which means "era" or "age." You may be surprised to know which popular phrases you have been saying incorrectly your whole life! I really HAVE been calling it a "Safety Deposit Box" but now that I think about it, that doesn't make a lot of sense. This article from Reader's Digest.com has a slideshow with 70 such phrases. Which ones have you been using correctly? Incorrectly? Which have you never heard before? Which will you start using? |
AuthorMs. Naylor teaches English and Journalism at AHS Archives
June 2022
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