Sayings and Phrases

Throughout the day many people use certain sayings and phrases. But did you know that you are probably saying them wrong? Or that they make absolutely no sense at all?

"I could care less." While there are probably a million other things that you could care less about. The saying is actually "I couldn't care less." If you say the first one (the wrong one) you are implying that you do care and that it is possible for you to care less about that specific topic. The second one (the right one) implies that you do not care about the topic at all and that there is no way you could care less.

"With all intensive purposes." Many people say this and if you think about it, this doesn't make sense. The proper way to say it is "with all intents and purposes."

"I did a complete 360, and I turned my life around." This right here is a contradiction. The first half implies that you are in fact facing the same way. While the second part implies that you only turned around.

"On tender hooks." This phrase is very commonly misspelled. First off, what exactly is a tender hook? It doesn’t seem logical does it? Well – that is because it isn’t. The phrase is actually “on tenterhooks”. A tenter was a medieval tool used for making cloth – the tenterhooks were small hooks to which the fabric would be stretched in the manufacturing process. To be on tenterhooks means to be left hanging – or to be in a state of suspense.

"I’ll take a raincheck." This phrase is usually meant to mean “I won’t do it now but I will later”. This is the commonly accepted meaning (and has been for a long time) so it is now considered to be correct. It is included here merely out of interest because its original meaning was slightly different. Initially, a raincheck was offered to people who had tickets to a baseball game that was rained out – they would offered a “raincheck” which was a ticket for a game at a later date to make up for the missed game. This eventually found its way into shopping jargon in general where a raincheck was an offer to sell an out-of-stock good when it arrived back in stock. The meaning has eventually broadened to a point that it is not an offer any longer but a response.

Maybe this is the first time you have heard these sayings. If you are considering on adding them to your vocabulary then use them right!!! And for those of you who are saying them wrong (you know who you are) you're welcome for helping you see the light.