Okay folks. Question time!
What's your favourite malapropism?
Today I learned that "spitting image" is a malapropism! But we're not sure if it comes from "spit and image" (from "he's the very spit of..." someone else), or - and I think this makes more sense - *spirit and image*, deformed over time. But so many forms have been used, no one knows for sure!
Other fun ones:
On tender hooks ("tenterhooks")
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but you mean your mother.
What's your favourite?
@MLClark "Tenterhook" was the word of the day. At first I thought, "Isn't it tenderhook?" but then I realized who wrote it so it must be right.
Baseball is filled with malaprops, courtesy of Yogi Berra. A common malaprop by inexperienced broadcasters is to say that a pitcher is "throwing up" instead of "warming up" in the bullpen.
RBI stands for Runs Batted In. A lot of people say, RBIs, which is already plural. I always said RBI.
🤔 If it's this Pike, I don't think I have any objections...
(I mean, he's no Ortegas, but if she's busy flying the ship... 😅)
@MLClark Pike's Peak!
Yogi Berra's contributions are always a delight, but OH, the adorably awkward nature of acronyms in common use. :)
It's always fun to remember your PIN number when you go to the ATM machine. The name for that problem is SO perfect, too. Did you know it's called RAS Syndrome - literally, redundant acronym syndrome syndrome?
*chef's kiss*
@MLClark Automobiles have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). When i was in law enforcement, officers always referred to the "VIN Number" when it's just VIN.
@MLClark If you want to talk acronyms in common use ...
#NASA has mastered acronyms.
Some are spelled out, others are pronounced like a word.
We do we say "NAH-suh" (NASA) but "V-A-B" (VAB)?
NASA's predecessor was "the N-A-C-A," with "the" in front. Early recordings after NASA began in 1958 have people saying "the N-A-S-A."
Somehow it evolved into "NAH-suh."
Oooh! I love that detail for authenticity in period pieces. I've read through NASA's publication style guide in the past, but some of those technical quirks - especially for audio - just slip through the cracks.
@MLClark I have a 1962 recording of KSC Director Kurt Debus, von Braun's man from Peenemunde days, saying "NASA" every which way. A couple times he says "the NAY-suh." Sometimes he says "N-A-S-A." Just kinda all over. But I use those recordings to show people how it's evolved over the years.
@MLClark In common English, "coming down the pike" versus "coming down the pipe."
Merriam-Webster says it's "down the pike."
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/down-the-pike-vs-down-the-pipe-idiom-usage