Supposably and Expecially (excetera, excetera, excetera)

[ThankQ]

What malapropisms do you hear most often?

I'm sometimes amazed by them.

In converstaion is one thing, but I recall when a student was reading aloud from a text book and said "supposably". She was actually looking at s-u-p-p-o-s-E-D-l-y, yet still said "supposably".

(It should be pointed out that "supposably" actually is a word in American English, but it had a different meaning that "supposedly".

"Excetera" gets me. I kind of get this one, since you usually see it as "etc." rather than "etcetera". But still, the second letter is a "t" in either case.

Are these common throughout different regions? I'm in the mid-west. I could name several more, but I'll let other people come up with them.

If you will, include your region, or the region in which you hear the malapropism you're listing.

 

[John Picard]

Irregardless.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

The use of "ideal" in place of "idea".

 

[ITL]

I have a friend who gets "exponential" and "existential" mixed up. He didn't believe me when I told him they mean different things. I thank him for introducing me to the concept of Mathematical Existential Growth.

 

[T'Baio]

Condenscending.

It's so hard not to be to anyone who says that.

 

[Chaos Descending]

"would of" instead of "would have".

 

[Jadzia]

anticlimatic

 

[ThankQ]

anticlimatic

I hate whether!






(Yes, I did it on purpose)

 

[Roshi]

Wow! I was already prepping my grammar obtuse-dweeb hat when I first read the thread's title.


phew, I almost Godwin'd that thread!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

"Expresso" for "espresso."

 

[TheSeeker]

"Expresso" for "espresso."

That one bugs me too.

 

[auntiehill]

Oh, I could rattle off a dozen of these. There are some over which I have simply given up, or just surrendered the battle, such as the constant misuse of "hopefully."

Some that I have noticed lately are:

Perscription--pronounced PUR SCRIP SHUN. Prescription, people, for Christ's sake.

Pacifically--instead of specifically. It makes me think they want to go sailing.

Firstable--Oh, if only I had a nickel for every time I've seen this in a paper. It's FIRST OF ALL. Firstable isn't even a word.

And, perhaps the one the I see the most often, is Conversate. It's a back-formation of "converse." Apparently, this is a common slang term now but it drives me up a wall when I see it in one test paper after another.

 

[John Picard]

Towards
Where at?
Unfreeze (A local weatherman says this A LOT. Evidently, he never learned the word "thaw" in weather school)

 

[Jadzia]

misunderestimated

 

[Terengo]

Perscription--pronounced PUR SCRIP SHUN. Prescription, people, for Christ's sake.

For some reason, although I have no obvious speech issues in any other case, I cannot say the word prescription. I've never heard perscription before, but it sounds like a pretty reasonable alternative to me.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

anticlimatic

I once created an anti-climb attic, a large room in which everything that didn't belong could be dumped without having to ascend stairs. I called it the Living Room.


Me, I actually have problems with the word malapropism itself. I used to confuse the words malapropism and euphemism.

Sometimes I might even say "malapriapism."


Quite often today, I often say one thing when I mean the exact opposite, such as "right" instead of "left"... or "guilty" instead of "not guilty"... or "damn you woman and never darken my life again!" instead of "pass the butter."
Yes, I misspoke a lot back then.

 

[ThankQ]

Pacifically--instead of specifically. It makes me think they want to go sailing.

Makes me think "in a gently, soothing manner," to pacify.

He pacifically ended the baby's cry.

 

[ThankQ]

This is totally unrelated, but....

"dr" does not equal "j".

The first sound of the words "drink" and "jump" should NOT be the same.

 

[ITL]

Sometimes I might even say "malapriapism."

Well, if it happened at an inopportune moment causing all manner of wicked naughtyness it would be exactly the right word for the occasion!

Err...not that I've ever had a malapriapism, of course. Nope. Not me, no Sir. Nope.

 

[Roshi]

Is it when you masturbate furiously but doing it wrong?