To tell you that it's "rein" not "reign".

[FlyingElbows]

Because it is and it's doing my tits in!!

Rein. Rein. Rein. Rein. Rein.

Free rein. It's an equestrian term meaning to give the horse freedom of movement.

It is NOT reign. That's what the Queen does.

It's right up there with "intensive purposes" and "doggy dog world"!!

Eh Wallah was using it in the context of et voila!, not referring to Allah.

Just pointing out that it might be a bit un-PC to use deliberately

My friend has a sore back and often gets 'aquapuncture'. It really works, apparently.

Orange - I had a great aunt whose friend went skiing in The Pyramids. She was a treasure

This thread certainly proves that none of us is perfect...

"The proof is in the pudding"

Bloody isn't.

The proof of the bloody pudding will be in the bloody eating.

My colleague often likes to 'air on the side of caution'

I don't know if it's just Scotland, but young people here seem to use past tenses completely differently now. They say 'I've went' and 'I've ate'. They even write it. I find it really odd

My old colleague, who was mad, came up with some rather lovely ones.

She thought the expression was "Going off on a tandem".

Also "You're the apple of my pie".

This thread certainly proves that none of us is perfect...

Yes Nanny, yes!

Also bigkids they seem to say "just now" to mean now. Whereas we Southerners see to use it to mean "a few moments ago".

I see this error frequently on Mumsnet when referring to cake - it's NOT a slither of cake, it's a sliver!!

Slithering is what snakes do

Two that I've seen on fb today - baul bauls for sale on a selling page, and a post about a Father Christmas experience where mould wine was available!

I am going too go back and read the whole thread now, having skimmed it to fast.

No-one says "used not to do" though, Abraiid. "Didn't used to" is more natural to me in speech and informal writing- I don't think I've ever written it for a formal purpose.

As does "which I am referring to". I know very well it's "to which I am referring", which I'd always write.

DoYouRememberJustinBobby horse is not really very high at all. 154.1cm according to the Joint Measurement Board which puts him just under 15.1hh. There are four inches in a "hand" so that makes him just under 5'1" to the "withers". The "withers" are the sort of sticky up bit where the neck meets the body and that the point of reference for horse measuring . So, you see, he's perfectly sized for his type which is good because if he tipped over that 155 we'd be right up shit creek and playing with the much bigger boys. That said we are on the look out for a nice heavyweight maxi so I may be able to report on a higher horse soon. Are you bored yet? Btw who is Justin Bobby? Oh and I agree, autocorrect is a bitch.

I love slither of cake and going off on a tandem... obviously both very wrong but they sound nice and make me smile.

My mother (who is Austrian) struggles with some of the English expressions still and however cross she is about something I can't help smiling when she talks about things going "to RAT and ruin" instead of 'wrack and ruin'.

Americans will say: "Did you see that film yet?" where a British person would say: "Have you seen that film yet?"

Many, if not most, Americans will say "have you" not "did you" in this contruction. We're a big country, with lots of linguistic variables.

That would be "construction" above.

Just reread what I wrote this morning, and realised my phone doesn't like the word wanker, so it helpfully changed it to walker

I've just remembered DD going through a phase of saying semi-skilled milk - that was annoying

No-one says "used not to do" though, Abraiid. "Didn't used to" is more natural to me in speech and informal writing- I don't think I've ever written it for a formal purpose.
The official spelling of the thing that is more natural to you is "didn't USE to". Further up the thread I explained why if you're really interested :)

SenecaFalls, I've certainly noticed more of a tendency towards the simple past tense in the States.

Some interesting points here: english.stackexchange.com/questions/3309/when-will-present-perfect-vs-past-tense-cases-be-affected-by-culture

I don't know if it's just Scotland, but young people here seem to use past tenses completely differently now. They say 'I've went' and 'I've ate'. They even write it. I find it really odd

That sounds like that mashup of past/present tense invented by the Emergency Services to describe events in the recent past - like "what's happened is this guy has come along here and then the car has pulled out and he's hit him and then he's come to a stop here"

It is weird and irritating.

Oh and I'd like to offer the incorrect use of adverse where it should be averse, and the creeping redefinition of misnomer from "a wrong or inaccurate name or designation" to "anything I think is wrong".

Advanced notice when it should be advance notice.