The most confusing 4 letter words...

[JDDN]

Sorry....I couldn't help myself. What about irregardless? I always thought it wasn't a "proper" word because of the double negative and that people were confusing it with irrespective and of course regardless (maybe trying to emphasize the latter one erroneously). But then it seems like there's debate that it is a real word!

Flammable and inflammable can be confusing too.

 

[AGBF]

There are two people at my office who say "mute" instead of "moot" all the freakin time!!

Eta: no matter if they say or it write it. "It's a mute point."

So is that the problem that everyone has with it? I am sorry if I am beating a dead horse, but I really want to understand the problem that people have with "moot"! It just seems so strange to me.

Deb

 

[House Cat]

There are two people at my office who say "mute" instead of "moot" all the freakin time!!

Eta: no matter if they say or it write it. "It's a mute point."

So is that the problem that everyone has with it? I am sorry if I am beating a dead horse, but I really want to understand the problem that people have with "moot"! It just seems so strange to me.

Deb

They think it is a mute point. Mute being, no sound, as in, you don't have to speak of it anymore.

 

[AGBF]

There is an expression I hear said incorrectly constantly that makes me insane with frustration. It makes me insane because, in its incorrect form, it makes no sense. Whereas if said correctly, it makes good sense. I am sure that some of you have already guessed which one it is! It is:

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

The saying means that the "proof" or the worth, the value, of the pudding will be shown when it is eaten, not when it is talked about beforehand. Obviously it is a metaphor. It is used to remind people that talk is cheap, and that how things work out in the real world will ultimately show who was right.

So why do people mangle the proverb and say, constantly: "The proof is in the pudding"?

What would that mean? Where would the lesson be in that?

It frustrates me because it defies logic.

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

There are two people at my office who say "mute" instead of "moot" all the freakin time!!

Eta: no matter if they say or it write it. "It's a mute point."

So is that the problem that everyone has with it? I am sorry if I am beating a dead horse, but I really want to understand the problem that people have with "moot"! It just seems so strange to me.

They think it is a mute point. Mute being, no sound, as in, you don't have to speak of it anymore.

Thank you, House Cat. I didn't understand that!

Deb

 

[Dancing Fire]

[quote="AGBF|

So why do people mangle the proverb and say, constantly: "The proof is in the pudding"?

What would that mean? Where would the lesson be in that?

It frustrates me because it defies logic.

AGBF
[/quote]



If you go to a coin forum it means "coins that were made for collectors"

 

[arkieb1]

Oooooh speaking of coins and puddings - in England and in Australia they used to hide sixpence in the old days in puddings for the children to find. This was considered a treat.... So in our culture, I assume that the proof is in the pudding can also mean you can find proof of something good contained inside it....

 

[AGBF]

Oooooh speaking of coins and puddings - in England and in Australia they used to hide sixpence in the old days in puddings for the children to find. This was considered a treat.... So in our culture, I assume that the proof is in the pudding can also mean you can find proof of something good contained inside it....

I bet that is the origin of the saying, arkie. And I think the French may also have hidden coins in puddings because I believe that it is still done at Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans here in the US. The proof may have been the coin. I shall go look it up. Thank you so much for the information!

Deb

 

[AGBF]

No coins were mentioned in any of the explanations I read about the origins of the saying. I did learn quite a bit, though. This link provided by far the best information.

Origins of, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"....http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proof-of-the-pudding.html

Deb/AGBF

 

[arkieb1]

I wonder however if it has become an amalgamation of the original proverb and the ideas of puddings in general, just like many words in our culture that have evolved or become bastardised so to speak. This is what I found about coins in puddings;

It was common practice to include small silver coins in the pudding mixture, which could be kept by the person whose serving included them.[1] The usual choice was a silver threepence or a sixpence. The coin was believed to bring wealth in the coming year.

Other tokens are also known to have been included, such as a tiny wishbone (to bring good luck), a silver thimble (for thrift), or an anchor (to symbolise safe harbour).[1]

And the specific history of the Christmas pudding in Australia;

http://theconversation.com/how-christmas-pudding-evolved-with-australia-35027

I know culturally we always say the proof is in the pudding - I suspect its a mixture of the two ideas combined rather than just a sloppy misinterpretation of the original proverb. We have a lot of slang words and a way of shortening things the rest of the world doesn't entirely "get" either.

 

[Gypsy]

Moot is another people get wrong all the time.

Gyps, I don't know that one. I mean I know the word, "moot", but I don't know how people mix it up. Please elucidate.

Deb, who really gets most of these instantaneously (because she is orientated, as kenny put it).

Moot is an interesting word. The denotation (dictionary definition) of it boils down to "relevant to topic under discussion." But in terms of common usage, it is typically used to mean exactly the opposite of that:" irrelevant to the topic under discussion" or that the point is a dead one.

So makes it difficult to understand, when someone says "That's a moot point," whether they are agreeing with you that point you raise is a good one, or disagreeing with you and dismissing your comment.

Additionally, and this drives me around the bend crazy, is when people for some reason think the word "moot" is actually the word "mute." Why? Because the words sound similar and, again, moot in common usage is used to mean irrelevant, so they think that saying mute is correct. But it's doubly incorrect. Not only are they using the wrong word entirely, but even if they got the word MOOT right, they still have the wrong usage because it doesn't mean irrelevant, it means relevant.

 

[stracci2000]

I think it all comes down to reading comprehension.
If you are an avid reader, you will see these commonly misused words in print.
It should become clear to the reader how these words are used and the correct spelling.
Once you see the word "moot" you will never again confuse it with "mute".
People just don't read.
They watch TV and play video games.

 

[jordyonbass]

Not 4 letter words here, but I hate when people type defiantly instead of definitely. That makes my blood boil more than the usual there/their/they're error that most people make

Another one which may be more of an Aussie/New Zealand thing as I am not sure whether other countries have this issue - but when people pronounce the work 'ask' with the S and K swapped around. I used to know a guy from NZ who pronounced it like that and no matter how many times I would tell him to pronounce it properly, he'd still pronounce it wrong. If I spelt the bad pronounciation phonetically it would be 'arcs' or 'arks'.