Why do we often misunderstand expressions?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theme of misunderstood expressions, focusing on humorous anecdotes and examples of phrases that are commonly misheard or misinterpreted. Participants share personal experiences and observations related to language misunderstandings, exploring both the comedic and perplexing aspects of these errors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share funny misunderstandings, such as "crap-shoot" being misheard as "crab-shoot" and the confusion surrounding "pool sharp" versus "pool shark."
  • One participant recounts their struggles with American names, leading to humorous misinterpretations like "Wayne Tiger" and "Randy Seagull."
  • There are discussions about the phrase "au jus," with some arguing that its usage has evolved incorrectly in American English.
  • Several participants mention common phrases that are often misheard, such as "once and a while" instead of "once in a while," and "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes."
  • One participant humorously notes a misunderstanding of the phrase "I could care less," highlighting the confusion it creates.
  • Another participant shares a personal anecdote about a misinterpretation of "playing hard to get" as "playing get it hard."
  • There is a mention of the phrase "the exception proves the rule," with some participants debating its correct usage.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share humorous anecdotes and observations, but there are disagreements regarding the correct usage of certain expressions, particularly "I could care less" versus "I couldn't care less." The discussion remains unresolved on some of these points.

Contextual Notes

Some misunderstandings may depend on regional language variations or personal experiences with language, and the discussion highlights the evolving nature of expressions in different cultures.

  • #31
Lol :smile:
 
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  • #32
duck tape vs. duct tape

is like

crescent wrench vs. adjustable wrench
 
  • #33
Pythagorean said:
duck tape vs. duct tape

is like

crescent wrench vs. adjustable wrench
Are you saying crescent wrench is a brand name of adjustable wrench formed as a reverse eponym from misspelling of the latter?
 
  • #34
Evo said:
http://duckbrand.com/images/products/280317_386x360.jpg

Bandersnatch said:
Lol :smile:
I can't remember how old I was when I finally realized that "duck tape" was actually "duct tape". I wasn't young. :redface:
 
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  • #35
Evo said:
I can't remember how old I was when I finally realized that "duck tape" was actually "duct tape". I wasn't young. :redface:

Glad to know that I wasn't the only one...
:blushing:
 
  • #36
Actually, it was called duck tape before it was called duct tape. It's also not very good on ducts.
 
  • #37
Bandersnatch said:
Are you saying crescent wrench is a brand name of adjustable wrench formed as a reverse eponym from misspelling of the latter?

naw, just that they are two products that people call by brand name.
 
  • #38
The first time I went to a fancy "sit down" restaurant, the waitress asked me; "Super Salad?"
I said; "No thank you. Can I just have a small salad, like everyone else? ..."
 
  • #39
lisab said:
Wayne's coating. Rot iron. Lam-nut flooring.
Makes you wish a pool shark would nip them in the butt.
 
  • #40
Evo said:
I can't remember how old I was when I finally realized that "duck tape" was actually "duct tape". I wasn't young. :redface:

So you're saying you weren't young in the 50's? :-p

As Vanadium mentioned, duck tape, tape made from cotton duck cloth, was first used around the turn of the century. In World War II, regular duck tape was modified to include the 'rubberized' coating to make it waterproof. It didn't start being called duct tape until the 50's, when it started being marketed as a way to seal air ducts. As Vanadium also mentioned, the original version didn't work very well on heating ducts. Modifications were made to provide a heat resistant version of duck/duct tape for heating ducts and a cold resistant version for air conditioning ducts.

So, it actually does work pretty well on ducts... provided you buy the right version.

But it still doesn't work as well on air ducts as it does in removing unwanted back hair. The heat resistant version and the cold resistant version work equally well in removing back hair.
 
  • #41
Evo said:
I can't remember how old I was when I finally realized that "duck tape" was actually "duct tape". I wasn't young. :redface:
Duck tape is not duct tape. Duct tape is very hard, very strong, very durable, nigh impossible to cut, and works extremely well on ducts. Duck tape is soft, weak, degradable, easily ripped, and should never, ever be used on ducts.
 
  • #42
Back to the original topic: Twenty-plus years ago I was active in working with my kids' athletic activities. The last name of one of the kids on one team was Hebert. Being a transplanted northerner, I naturally pronounced that as He-bert. Boy, did I get some feedback! I had to remind myself that the South is Oz, and that the correct pronunciation of that surname is given by "A lion, a tiger, Hebert, oh my!"
 
  • #43
D H said:
Back to the original topic: Twenty-plus years ago I was active in working with my kids' athletic activities. The last name of one of the kids on one team was Hebert. Being a transplanted northerner, I naturally pronounced that as He-bert. Boy, did I get some feedback! I had to remind myself that the South is Oz, and that the correct pronunciation of that surname is given by "A lion, a tiger, Hebert, oh my!"
:smile:
 
  • #44
If you're interested in Duct Tape you might enjoy this: http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/duct-tape-HVAC.html
 
  • #45
D H said:
Duck tape is not duct tape. Duct tape is very hard, very strong, very durable, nigh impossible to cut, and works extremely well on ducts. Duck tape is soft, weak, degradable, easily ripped, and should never, ever be used on ducts.

*wonders if a duck could escape from being tied with duck tape*
 
  • #46
D H said:
Duck tape is soft, weak, degradable, easily ripped, and should never, ever be used on ducts.

Hmm... something seems to have got "lost in translation" from the original product. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_duck

(I've never seen a reel of anything marketed as "duck tape", but I know the term "duck sheeting" for the cloth used as weatherproof covers, etc.)
 
  • #47
AlephZero said:
Hmm... something seems to have got "lost in translation" from the original product. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_duck

(I've never seen a reel of anything marketed as "duck tape", but I know the term "duck sheeting" for the cloth used as weatherproof covers, etc.)

Doek tape? People would have started pronouncing it "Doke tape." Then, probably calling it, "Okey Dokey Tape".
 
  • #48
zoobyshoe said:
Doek tape? People would have started pronouncing it "Doke tape."
If Americans heard it without seeing the Dutch spelling, they would probably have spelled it "Duke tape" (with a flat American u sound, not British English "Dewk"). But Dutch vowels tend to sound shorter than they look (at least to my British eyes and ears) so Duck isn't a bad approximation.
 
  • #49
What's a flat american u sound? I would have pronounced Duke as Dewk.
 
  • #50
Pythagorean said:
What's a flat american u sound? I would have pronounced Duke as Dewk.

I could pronounce it either way. For example:

Duke Nukem - Dook
The Duke of wherever - Dewk (That's with a kind of Y sound after the D, right? Or like when someone says "Eewww, gross!" Deeewwwwk)
 
  • #51
Pythagorean said:
What's a flat american u sound? I would have pronounced Duke as Dewk.
His transliteration of the British is pronounced according to how we pronounce ew in the word ewe:

ewe
yo͞o/
noun
1.a female sheep.

However, we ('merikins) don't pronounce ew that way in many other words. Dew, for instance. We say, "doo". "Duke" and "Dewk" would both be pronounced "Dook," here, in the USA.

Now, what's interesting is that the British traditionally made their famous long bows from the Yew tree. It takes a true Britain to be able to hear if you are properly pronouncing both y's: yyew tree, yyew wood, etc. During WWII, many Nazi spies were caught when they failed this pronunciation test.
 
  • #52
Whether Brits would call the Queen's husband the Dewk or the Dyewk depends what part of the UK they come from. But none of them would call him the Dook.

As for female sheep, the old spelling was yowe (with the "ow" part like the noise you make when somebody hits you) - and that's still the dialect pronunciation, in some parts of the UK.
 
  • #53
Oh, right, of course, I always imagined Brits as saying du-uke. I guess I do say dook, I just saw dewk as duke, not du-uke :)
 
  • #54
Evo said:
That one kills me, we actually had people in another thread trying to defend it's use. :rolleyes:

Please link me that thread :smile:
 
  • #55
Sigh. I don't speak English, I only write. I once made of mistake of trying to use what I heard in writing. I asked a Brit how many squids did he pay for something.
 
  • #56
Me either. At least not the biology dialect of English. When I gave a presentation on synaptogenesis, I pronounced bouton as button.
 

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