Why This is Good

Misspellings are bad, but misused idioms are awful. Not only do they represent misspellings, they show that you are not well-read and have probably only heard the phrases you are trying to use. One of the reasons reading is so important is that it allows you to see how things should be spelled, and the proper use of homonyms . The less literate people become, the more prevalent misuse of your and you’re or their, there, and they’re will become. But homonyms are another issue, and this post is about idioms. Below are some of the most commonly misused idiomatic expressions.

“All intents and purposes” NOT “All intensive purposes.”

“Waiting with bated breath”-bated is the correct spelling. This phrase means someone is very anxiously waiting for something. Baited breath is misspelling. Bated means to lessen or moderate, meaning that in anxiety, the person waits with lessened or lowered breathing, barely breathing because they are so excited and anticipating something-almost like holding your breath to wait for something. Baited is something that has bait on it-a baited hook. If your breath is baited, rather than bated, you are saying that your breath contains bait to lure something or someone, it can also mean to antagonize or tease.

“By a hair’s breadth” meaning someone escaped or avoided a catastrophe by a very narrow margin-the breadth, or width-of a hair, or, a very small amount. This is commonly misspelled as “hair’s breath.” Hair doesn’t breathe, and if it did, what would that have to do with the price of tea in China?

“Dog eat dog world” Meaning it is a competitive, ruthless world. Often mispronounced or misspelled to Dog-e-dog or doggie dog. Again this comes from only hearing the phrase spoken aloud, never actually seeing it written.

“Just deserts” meaning they get what they deserve. The phrase is not “Just desserts” as in their after-dinner treat, though they are pronounced the same.

“Lo and behold” not “Low and behold.” Here we’re using the archaic word “lo” so it’s understandable why one would replace with “low” as they sound the same and lo has pretty much fallen out of use. Nevertheless, the correct term is “Lo and behold,” with lo meaning look.

“Wreaking havoc” “wreak” is pronounced “reek” and means to cause. “Wrecking” or “reeking havoc” are wrong.

“Free rein” not “Free reign” The original phrase came from allowing horses to have a loose or free rein-the opposite of being kept on a short leash, to use another idiom. If a horse has free rein, it is able to move how it wants. Conversely, you can tighten the reins, or “rein someone in” to give them less freedom. Reign means a rule, as a king reigns

In contrast, it is “Reign of terror” uses the word reign to mean rule over or control. Originally referred to the part of the French Revolution during which there were massive executions and witch hunts, the phrase is now used to describe the rule of a malevolent leader-whether literal, in reference to a political leader or dictator, or hyperbolically, referring to an unfair power-hungry boss or parent. The expression is not “Rain of terror” or “Rein of terror”

“Couldn’t care less” is the correct way to say that you don’t care about something-meaning you care so little, there is no possible way you could care less. You care the absolute least amount possible. This is commonly misused as “I could care less” which means you do care, because it is possible for you to care less, so you don’t care as little as possible.

While not really idioms, I thought I’d throw in my pet peeves “use to” and “suppose to,” which are both wrong and should be “used to” and “supposed to.”

“On tenterhooks” not “On tenderhooks” Don’t ask me what a tenterhook is, although I’ve also never heard of a tenderhook.

“Rack your brain” is correct, not “Wrack your brain” or “Wreck your brain” or “Rake your brain”

“Raising Cain” refers to the Cain of the Bible and means making a scene or a disturbance. “Cain” should be capitalized as it is a proper name, and it should not be spelled as “cane” or for you film buffs,“Kane.”

“Sleight of hand” not “Slight of hand.” Sleight of hand is a way of moving your hands in a deceptive but carefully concealed way, as a magician does when performing card or coin tricks. Slight of hand would indicate that someone has very small hands or that they were insulted somehow via someone’s hand. Sleight is an odd word however, and is rarely used outside of this particular phrase, so it is understandable that the confusion exists.

“Spitting image” not “splitting image.”

“Toe the line” not “tow the line.” The expression refers to standing behind a line, and means following rules or conforming to a standard. It does not mean physically carrying or towing a line.

“Whet your appetite” not “Wet your appetite” Whet means to stimulate or sharpen, and the term means to arouse or encourage an appetite, not get it wet.