Comments on: A Slip of the Ear: Misheard and Misused Expressions https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/ English Writing and Grammar Tips Sat, 27 Sep 2025 14:50:23 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Donna Talis https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-8794 Sat, 27 Sep 2025 14:50:23 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-8794 I worked for a woman who was always “flushing out” ideas. I must say there were times when I really did want to flush her ideas.

]]> By: Anne Marie Happe https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-8622 Sat, 24 May 2025 14:01:12 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-8622 I was raised Catholic in New York City. One of the many prayers we learned was The Act of Contrition. “Oh, my God I am heartily sorry . . .” My eight-year old version was, “Oh, my God, I’m partly sorry.” My mother chastised me for that sin!

]]> By: Dr. Ron Cooper https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6828 Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:36:48 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6828 In reply to LynnM.

Lynn, don’t feel bad about this one! This one is quite common because the two sound almost exactly alike, and “intensive” sort of makes sense, right? My guess is that if you say “intensive” those who hear you will not hear (or know) the difference anyway. So, I say, don’t even think twice.

]]> By: LynnM https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6823 Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:04:40 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6823 For years I thought the expression was “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes.” I still have to think twice when I use it.

]]> By: Dr. Ron Cooper https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6794 Fri, 23 Aug 2024 20:48:42 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6794 Ann, I think I would have had to pull my car over to the side of the road on that one!

]]> By: Dr. Ron Cooper https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6793 Fri, 23 Aug 2024 20:46:23 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6793 In reply to Robert.

Thank you, Robert. It indeed makes sense, right?

]]> By: Ann Metzler https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6782 Thu, 22 Aug 2024 18:06:57 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6782 Sometime during the height of the 2004 presidential election build-up, I was driving along, half listening to a familiar song on the radio, when I thought I heard the lyric, “Bush is Kerry.” I did a double take and looked it up when I got home. The song (and the lyric) was “Voices Carry” by the band ‘Til Tuesday.

]]> By: Robert https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6764 Tue, 20 Aug 2024 14:21:03 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6764 Attending my first funeral at the age of 5, I was profoundly impacted watching the box lowered into the grave as the Father blessed the soul. From that point on, when I bless myself – “In the name of the Father, the Son, into the hole he goes.”

]]> By: Dr. Ron Cooper https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6745 Sun, 18 Aug 2024 00:06:48 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6745 Hey Eileen,
Penn Station can indeed sometimes be a trial, right? Thank you for your response.

]]> By: Dr. Ron Cooper https://getitwriteonline.com/a-slip-of-the-ear-common-ways-words-are-misheard-and-misused/#comment-6744 Sun, 18 Aug 2024 00:06:25 +0000 https://getitwriteonline.com/?p=3281#comment-6744 In reply to Eileen D-H.

Hey Eileen,
Penn Station can indeed sometimes be a trial, right? Thank you for your response.

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