We have all heard phrases that stuck with us. We use them in our writing and speech. Problems arise when we either misheard or remembered the phrases incorrectly. The results  range from humorous to downright confusing.

The Correct Phrase                                           What You’ll Sometimes See or Hear

all it entails                                                            all it in tails

by and large                                                         buy in large

chock full of                                                          chaulked full of

in cahoots with                                                     in cohorts with

amusing anecdotes                                              amusing antidotes

beck and call                                                         beckon call

bated breath                                                         baited breath

beside the point                                                   besides the point

can’t fathom it                                                     can’t phantom it

down the pike                                                      down the pipe

far be it from me                                                 far be it for me

for all intents and purposes                             or all intensive purposes

home in on                                                          hone in on

got my dander up                                              got my dandruff up

had the wherewithal                                        had the where with all

I couldn’t care less                                             I could care less

in like Flynn                                                      in like Flint

moot point                                                         mute point

whet my appetite                                             wet my appetite

up and at ’em                                                   up and adam

tough row to hoe                                            tough road to hoe

supposedly                                                       supposably

shoo -in to win                                                shoe-in to win

over the airwaves                                          over the airways

of utmost importance                                   of upmost importance

recent poll                                                      recent pole

dyed in the wool                                            died in the wool

en route                                                          in route

I think you’re getting the picture.  Before you use those all too common phrases, make sure you have them down. I know I’m guilty of using several of the phrases listed above in the ‘what you’ll sometimes see or hear‘ list.

Something else to check during the revision process 🙂

-Jan R