Common sayings people get wrong

[Nigella's Cream Pie]

The odd thing is that Americans pronounce "Houston" Hyooston, while most Brits say Hooston.

The exact opposite of noos and nyoos for "news".

I knew a Mrs. Houston when I lived in Australia, she pronounced it as 'Houseton'

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Here, here

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Hugely annoying.

Usually seen on sites like Mumsnet, or the Argus comments pages, frequently following up posts like "rip babez heavans gained another angle 2nite"

 

[Danny-Boy]

I knew a Mrs. Houston when I lived in Australia, she pronounced it as 'Houseton'

I always wondered why a certain player for Albion insisted on being addressed as "Dough-bie" when everyone else pronounced it as "Dob-bie.". To rhyme with "Nobby".

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Entirely rational. File under the insidious creep of "season" (instead of "series") and "gotten" (instead of "become").

Gotten is old English. Nothing wrong with that!

The difference is American English and British English.

Gotten in old English is ill-gotten (gains) as in illegally obtained.

Gotten in America is instead of 'have got'.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Los Vegas. Most Americans say that.

And their stab at Ibiza is invariably shite also.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Los Vegas. Most Americans say that.

Most just say Vegas. One of their tourist websites is Vegas.com

 

[Arrid]

Borrow and lend regularly get mixed up.

Would you borrow me a fiver?

Can I lend your *******?

Think that's just up North or Wales.

 

[Ned]

Another one that is creeping in to common parlance is free instead of three.
As one born in Yorkshire this should only happen if negotiating a very large discount on a deal ;-)

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I used to know someone who said Ambermance instead of Ambulance.

Also, at my last place of work one of the senior managers, who led the daily stand up meeting would most days use the phrase "Would you like to appraise us of progress".

I could possibly apprise them, but I'd find it hard to appraise them all, I hardly knew some of them.

 

[whitelion]

Los Vegas. Most Americans say that.

And their stab at Ibiza is invariably shite also.

As is War sester sauce (Worcester sauce) and

Lie sester (Leicester) etc.

 

[Normski1989]

Think that's just up North or Wales.

I've definitely heard people say it around here, but not too often.

Your post reminded me of something else I hate... When people say they are going 'down' somewhere, when it's clearly not down! Like "I'm going down to London this weekend."

 

[viscentaye]

Many already said so below may include duplicates - I've also been enlightened myself on 'dishwater' and 'begs the question'

- Pedal stool instead of pedestal
- double ended sword instead of double edged!
- bought and brought being mixed up gets on my moobs
- nuffink and everyfink
- how much instead of how many - when in context and vice versa
- how's 'yous' instead of how are you all

Not common but knew someone once who used 'duplicitous' when talking about having to perform a task more than once......

 

[GT49er]

Another one that is creeping in to common parlance is free instead of three.
As one born in Yorkshire this should only happen if negotiating a very large discount on a deal ;-)

Not so much creeping into modern parlance - it's been around for years in parts of the country; dialect, not language - it's just the way 'th' is sounded. It's not that they're 'fick', any more than people who pronounce 'by' as 'bah' and 'gum' as 'goom'.

 

[Guinness Boy]

As is War sester sauce (Worcester sauce) and

Lie sester (Leicester) etc.

My wife was born and brought up in Oxfordshire, quite near to Bicester and very often got Shermans asking her the way to Bi sester. Serves her right for confusing condone and condemn and not coming up with enough puns.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I've definitely heard people say it around here, but not too often.

Your post reminded me of something else I hate... When people say they are going 'down' somewhere, when it's clearly not down! Like "I'm going down to London this weekend."

That's a strange one, because you always go up to the capital, but people up north, go down south.

 

[Ned]

Not so much creeping into modern parlance - it's been around for years in parts of the country; dialect, not language - it's just the way 'th' is sounded. It's not that they're 'fick', any more than people who pronounce 'by' as 'bah' and 'gum' as 'goom'.

Not when you here them saying "There were free of them" & you are not sure whether they were telling you how many there were or that someone had been liberated from something.
I am not talking about dialect (heaven only knows I can't say "the" correctly) but about the sloppy use of the English language.

 

[Normski1989]

Also meet a lot of people out and about who say they've come 'up' to Brighton for the weekend, yet they've come from up north somewhere.

On a another note... which of the following is correct:
'Less haste, more speed'
'More haste, less speed'

I've always said the first one, meaning if you stop rushing, you'll actually get it done faster because you'll make fewer mistakes. But my Mum says the second one, which basically means the same thing but in the opposite way.

 

[Ned]

I've always known it as 'More haste, less speed' which does mean the same thing but is used as a cautionary proverb.

 

[GT49er]

Not when you here them saying "There were free of them" & you are not sure whether they were telling you how many there were or that someone had been liberated from something.

Fair enough, but can't say I've ever heard that one. 'Free of 'em', maybe, but not the mix of correct and incorrect pronunciation of 'th'.

 

[GT49er]

Also meet a lot of people out and about who say they've come 'up' to Brighton for the weekend, yet they've come from up north somewhere.

On a another note... which of the following is correct:
'Less haste, more speed'
'More haste, less speed'

I've always said the first one, meaning if you stop rushing, you'll actually get it done faster because you'll make fewer mistakes. But my Mum says the second one, which basically means the same thing but in the opposite way.

'More haste, less speed' every day!