25 Phrases That You Might Be Saying Incorrectly

Right: Case in point

This is used to bring up an example that proves your argument.

Right: one and the same

This phrase is used to indicate that two things are exactly alike.

Right: nip it in the bud

Nipping something in the bud means you’re ending it before it starts. Nipping something in the butt, well, that means something completely different.

Right: scot-free

This means to get away without a deserved punishment.

Right: statute of limitations

It’s a statute, not a statue.

Right: fall by the wayside

Falling by the wayside means to not keep up with the group.

Right: self-deprecating

To self-deprecate means to undervalue yourself. “Depreciate”, on the other hand, is an term used in economics to indicate that the value of something drops over time.

Right: scapegoat

Except for goats breaking out of prisons, the correct term is “scapegoat”, which refers to a person or group that bears blame for others.

Right: dog-eat-dog world

Doggy dog world doesn’t even make sense. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where every man is for himself.

Right: Alzheimer’s disease

While it may be for old-timers, that’s not the name.

Right: curl up in the fetal position

It’s a fetus. That’s why it’s called the “fetal position”.

Right: make do

While this is more of a spelling issue, to make something due would mean to enforce a deadline. To “make do” is short for “make do well enough”.

Right: They read well

Although it’s more of a middle school grammar lesson, this one is so common that it bears repeating. “Good” is an adjective. It modifies nouns. If you are describing how she reads then you use the adverb “well”.

Right: a blessing in disguise

Maybe rain during a drought would really be a blessing in the skies, but that’s not what the phrase is referring to. A blessing in disguise is something bad that actually turns out to be good.

Right: Heimlich Maneuver.

Although you very well might be removing Heineken, it’s called the Heimlich Maneuver.

Right: making a 180 degree turn in life

If you make a 360 degree turn, you will end up facing the same direction.

Right: exacting revenge

Extracting something means to take it out of something else. Exacting something means to require it. You are exacting revenge, not extracting it.

Right: giving someone leeway

Leadway isn’t even a word.

Right: to home in

To hone something means to sharpen it, to home in on something means to get closer or to approach it.

Right: you’ve got another think coming

The entire phrase is, “if that’s what you think, you’ve got another think coming.”

Right: hunger pangs

Although the wrong version makes sense (which is why people use it), the original phrase is “hunger pangs”.

Right: should have

Of is a preposition, not an auxiliary verb. When you talk fast they sound the same, but if you’re giving a slow, professional speech, don’t make this mistake!

Right: set foot

Although never “stepping” foot in your friend’s house again sounds ok, the phrase is actually that you are never “setting” foot in your friend’s house again.

Right: moot point

Once again, “mute point” seems to make sense, but it’s actually a “moot point”. The term moot is a legal term that dates back to the 1500s and means that something is open to debate.

Right: near hit

If you’re driving, you barely escape a collision, and you look at your friend to say “wow, that was a near miss!”, then what you are implying is that you actually did have a collision. To nearly miss something means to hit it. To nearly hit something means to miss it.