What mis-stated phrases or words do you feel still need to be corrected (online or in person) in 2025?
What mis-stated phrases or words do you feel still need to be corrected (online or in person) in 2025?
Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used, what the phrase is, and what it should be.
Example:
In America, recently came across "back-petal", instead of back-pedal. Also, still hearing "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes".
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"per se" (US) - people generally use it as "exactly" or "specifically", e g. "It's not circular, per se, more like a rounded rectangle". However, it actually means "in and of itself". I have a coworker that misuses this one constantly (and also spells it incorrectly) and it's become a huge pet peeve.
Huh TIL I've been using per se wrong. Thanks stranger!
Because of South Park, I occasionally end sentences with that phrase, per se.
This is one of those ones that's taken on it's own meaning, unfortunately, if you're a fan of what it originally meant.
Same with "peruse." People normally mean browse through a selection, but it originally meant examine thoroughly.
Or "fortuitous" which used to mean purely "by chance" but now means "by happy chance".