Sometimes it feels like whoever set up the English language was just trying to punk us. Someone put together a list of common phrases people get wrong all the time. Here are six that some people don’t know . . .
1. It’s pronounced ES-presso, not EX-presso. You’ve probably heard that one before, but people still get it wrong. There are three “S’s” in the word, but not a single “X”.
2. A lot of people say “for all INTENSIVE purposes.” But it’s really “for all INTENTS and purposes.”
3. Saying your life took “a total three-sixty ” is wrong. You probably mean a “one-eighty.” If you turned 360 degrees, you’d be back where you started.
4. In the phrase “getting off scot free,” the word “scot” only has one “T”. It’s an Old English word for “tax.” If you use two “T’s”, it’s like saying you didn’t have to hang out with anyone named Scott.
5. A lot of people say “BUTT naked,” which is okay. But “BUCK naked” was the original term. No one’s sure where it came from though.
6. As long as we’re on butts, the phrase “nip it in the butt” is wrong. It’s “nip it in the BUD.” As in a weed you should cut before it grows any more.
