incorrectly, do you make an assumption
about his or her intelligence or education?
There's no doubt that words are powerful
things that can leave a lasting impression on
those with whom you interact.
In fact, saying an idiom incorrectly or
screwing up your grammar is akin to
walking into a meeting with messy hair.
That's according to Byron Reese CEO of the
venture-backed Internet startup Knowingly,
which recently launched Correctica, a tool
that scans websites looking for errors that
spell checkers miss.
And the business world is no exception.
"When I look for these errors on LinkedIn
profiles they're all over the place — tens of
thousands," he says.
Correctica recently scanned a handful of
prominent websites and you might be
surprised at how many errors it found. Here's
Reese's list of the some of the most
commonly misused words on the web.
1. Prostrate cancer
It's an easy misspelling to make, just add an
extra "r" and prostate cancer becomes
"prostrate" cancer which would translate to
"cancer of lying face down on the ground."
Both the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the Mayo Clinic
websites include this misspelling.
2. First-come, first-serve
This would suggest that the first person to
arrive has to serve all of the others. The
actual phrase is "first-come, first-served" to
indicate that the participants will be served
in the order in which they arrived. Both
Harvard and Yale got this one wrong.
3. Sneak peak
A "peak" is a mountain top. A "peek" is a
quick look. The correct expression is "sneak
peek" which would mean to have a secret or
early look at something. This error appeared
on Oxford University's site as well as the
National Park Service website.
4. Deep-seeded
This should actually be "deep-seated" to
indicate that it is firmly established. Though
"deep-seeded" could theoretically make sense,
indicating something is planted deep in the
ground, this is not the correct expression.
Correctica found this error on the
Washington Post as well as the White House
site.
5. Extract revenge
To extract something is to remove it, like a
tooth. The correct expression is "exact revenge"
which means to demand revenge. The New
York Times as well as the BBC made this
error.
6. I could care less
"I couldn't care less" is what you would say
in order to express maximum apathy toward
a situation. Basically you're saying, "It's
impossible for me to care less about this
because I have no more cares to give. I've
run out of cares." Using the incorrect
expression "I could care less" indicates "I still
have a few cares left to give, would you
like some?"
7. Shoe-in
"Shoo-in" is a common idiom which means
a sure winner. To "shoo" something is to
urge it in a direction. As you would "shoo" a
fly out of your house, you could also "shoo"
someone toward victory. The expression
started in the early 20th century, relating to
horse racing and broadened to politics soon
after.
It's easy to see why the "shoe-in" version is
so common, perhaps derived from the door-
to-door sales practice of moving a foot into
the doorway to make it more difficult for a
prospective client to close the door. But "foot
in the door" is an entirely different idiom.
8. Emigrated to
With this one there is no debate. The verb
"emigrate" is always used with the
preposition "from," whereas immigrate is
always used with the preposition "to." To
emigrate is to come from somewhere, and to
immigrate is to go to somewhere. "Jimmy
emigrated from Ireland to the United States"
means the same thing as "Jimmy
immigrated to the United States from
Ireland." It's just a matter of what you're
emphasizing — the coming or the going.
9. Slight of hand
"Sleight of hand" is a common phrase in the
world of magic and illusion, because
"sleight" means the use of dexterity or
cunning, usually to deceive. On the other
hand, the noun "slight" means an insult.
10. Honed in
First, it's important to note that this particular
expression is hotly debated. Many references
now consider "hone in" an alteration of
"home in." That said, it is still generally
accepted that "home in" is the more correct
phrase. To home in on something means to
move toward a goal, such as "The missile
homed in on its target."
To "hone" means to sharpen. You would say,
"I honed my resume writing skills." But you
would likely not say, "The missile honed in
on its target." When followed by the
preposition "in," the word "hone" just doesn't
make sense.
11. Baited breath
The term "bated" is an adjective meaning
suspense. It originated from the verb "abate,"
meaning to stop or lessen. Therefore, "to wait
with bated breath" essentially means to hold
your breath with anticipation. The verb
"bait," on the other hand, means to taunt,
often to taunt a predator with its prey.
A fisherman baits his line in hopes of a big
catch. Considering the meaning of the two
words, it's clear which is correct, but the
word "bated" is mostly obsolete today,
leading to the ever-increasing misuse of this
expression.
12. Piece of mind
This should be "peace" of mind, meaning
calmness and tranquility. The expression
"piece of mind," actually would suggest
doling out sections of brain.
13. Wet your appetite
This expression is more often used
incorrectly than it is used correctly — 56% of
the time it appears online, it's wrong. The
correct idiom is "whet your appetite." Whet
means to sharpen or stimulate, so to whet
your appetite would mean to awaken your
desire for something.
14. For all intensive purposes
The correct phrase should be "for all intents
and purposes." It originates from English law
in the 1500s that stated "to all intents,
constructions and purposes," which basically
means "officially" or "effectively."
15. One in the same
One in the same would literally translate
that the "one" is inside of the same thing as
itself, which makes no sense at all. The
proper phrase is "one and the same," meaning
the same thing or the same person. For
example, "When Melissa was homeschooled,
her teacher and her mother were one and
the same."
16. Make due
When something is due, it is owed. To make
due would mean to make owed, but the
phrase to "make do" is short for "to make
something do well" or "to make something
sufficient." When life gives you lemons, you
make do and make lemonade!
17. By in large
The phrase "by and large" was first used in
1706 to mean "in general." It was a nautical
phrase derived from sailing terms "by" and
"large." While it doesn't have a literal
meaning that makes sense, "by and large" is
the correct version of this phrase.
18. Do diligence
While it may be easy to surmise that "do
diligence" translates to doing something
diligently, it does not. "Due diligence" is a
business and legal term that means you
will investigate a person or business before
signing a contract with them, or before
formally engaging in a business deal
together. You should do your due diligence
and investigate business deals fully before
committing to them.
19. Peaked my interest
To "pique" means to arouse, so the correct
phrase here should be "piqued my interest,"
meaning that your interest was awoken. To
say that something "peaked my interest"
would mean that it looked at my interest.
20. Case and point
The correct phrase in this case is "case in
point" which derives its meaning from a
dialect of Old French. While it may not make
any logical sense today, it is a fixed idiom.
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