Jun 29
Inn core wrecked word you sages 11-15
Posted on Monday, June 29, 2009 in Incorrect word usage
Correct: Bear with me asks the other person to be patient.
Incorrect: Bare with me is an invitation to undress.
Which leads me to mention that it is bare-naked, not bear-naked.
Correct: Flesh out the idea means to develop it further.
Incorrect: Flush out the idea. (You flush out birds from the bushes.)
Correct: To give free rein means to give a person freedom to act.
Incorrect: To give free reign.
Correct: For all intents and purposes which means for all practical purposes.
Incorrect: For all intensive purposes.
Correct: Hit-or-miss means that something will either happen or not happen.
Incorrrect: Hit-and-miss means that something will both happen and not happen.
When Thomas was about 7 or 8 we were driving out to Spearfish when suddenly he started giggling in the back seat. When we asked him what was so funny he pointed back to a sign and said – “dat sign said ‘bare butt’” -which of course is hysterical to a seven year old. Really it said, “Bear Butte.” Ha! To this day we still refer to Bear Butte as bare butt!