You know the phrases, you may even throw them into conversation, but are you saying them correctly?
Do you say ‘escape goat’ instead of ‘scapegoat’ or ‘could of’ instead of ‘could have’? Do you absent-mindedly sing ‘Shoving Connie around the Green’ at the end of the national anthem?
We’ve all been there.
Misheard sayings (officially known as ‘eggcorns’) are rife, with nearly half of those in Ireland admitting to using at least one incorrectly. Over half have been mishearing them for years and one in 10 for their entire lives. Even more interesting is that when other people use misheard sayings, at least 1 in 5 find them irritating or annoying.
To educate us all on the right way to say pronounce these phrases and more, writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has teamed up with Specsavers to correct the nation’s mishearing of well-known sayings, as new research reveals friends and family are just too polite to tell each other they are wrong.
Together with the famous wordsmith, they’re calling on all of us to finally banish ‘wriggle room’, ‘escape goat’, ‘damp squid’, ‘nip in the butt’, and other incorrect phrases.
Gyles, who has revealed he has hearing loss and has been missing clarity and high frequency notes, said: “These misheard sayings have plagued our nation’s conversations for too many years. Clear hearing is the cornerstone of clear conversations.
“So, if you’ve ever heard these treasured sayings as ‘escape goat’ when it’s ‘scapegoat’, or dare I say it ‘nip it in the butt’ when it’s ‘nip it in the bud’, consider getting a hearing check.”
A culture of silence
Part of the problem is a culture of silence around hearing difficulties and the misused words and phrases: Over half (58%) said they wouldn’t want to risk embarrassing or offending someone by pointing out when they’ve got it wrong, and another one third of people (33%) are too polite to correct them. When mis-hearers are corrected, one quarter (25%) are surprised and 11% are shocked.
Just under half of those surveyed put their misuse of common words and sayings down to hearing difficulties, yet only 14% had gone for a hearing check in the past five years.
The most mis-heard sayings in Ireland
- Misheard: Nip it in the butt. Correct: Nip it in the bud
- Misheard: Escape goat. Correct: Scape goat
- Misheard: Wriggle room. Correct: Wiggle room
- Misheard: Biting my time. Correct: Biding my time
- Misheard: Tenderhooks. Correct: Tenterhooks
- Misheard: Scotch free. Correct: Scot free
- Misheard: For all intensive purposes. Correct: For all intents and purposes
- Misheard: Do diligence. Correct: Due diligence
- Misheard: Chomp at the bit. Correct: Champ at the bit
- Misheard: Last stitch effort. Correct: Last ditch effort
Speaking up
Research suggests that more than 300,00 people in the Republic of Ireland are actively ignoring a hearing issue, just struggling through with unclear or reduced hearing. People often wait 10 years before addressing changes in their hearing, despite the help readily available on high streets across the country. This can result in a reduced quality of life, difficulty communicating and feelings of isolation.
Commenting on the findings, Specsavers Audiology Chairperson of Ireland Martina McNulty said: “Everyone’s hearing changes over time but you shouldn’t have to settle for ‘OK’ hearing. If you’re mishearing things or ‘just getting the gist’ during conversation, there’s no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Get a free hearing check on the high street to find out what support can put you on track to hearing clearly again.”
