Why do we often misunderstand expressions?

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the humorous misunderstandings of common expressions, highlighting how phrases like "pool shark" are often misheard as "pool sharp," and "for all intensive purposes" is a frequent error for "for all intents and purposes." Participants share personal anecdotes, such as confusing "au jus" with "with jus" and the misinterpretation of "I could care less," which is incorrectly used instead of "I couldn't care less." The conversation illustrates the evolution of language and the impact of regional dialects on expression comprehension.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of idiomatic expressions and their meanings
  • Familiarity with common English phrases and their correct forms
  • Knowledge of linguistic variations in American and British English
  • Awareness of cultural references that influence language
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the origins and meanings of idiomatic expressions in English
  • Explore the differences between American and British English phrases
  • Learn about the evolution of language and how misunderstandings occur
  • Investigate the role of regional dialects in shaping language comprehension
USEFUL FOR

Language enthusiasts, educators, and anyone interested in the nuances of English expressions and their common misunderstandings.

  • #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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