To have misunderstood the meaning of this word my whole life?

[Lemonsaretheonlyfruit]

Salubrious.

I always thought it meant luxurious. Turns out it means healthy or health giving. (My 10 year old DS asked me this morning so I looked it up just to double check I was giving him the correct definition!)

Who knew? (Probably everyone apart from me). Any more of these to share?

I used to think that epi-tome was a one word and there was another word spelled “epitomy” which I just weirdly never saw written down!

I also thought that “segue” was pronounced “seeg” until very recently. Fortunately it didn’t often come up in conversation.

@TheWorstShed

Well, I'm not ever saying 'banal' again in public, just in case.

Seems like a wise move to me! It's a word I've never felt comfortable with & I think I now realise why!!

I keep seeing 'regime' used when 'regimen' is meant. I keep imagining some sort of S American junta getting involved with face masks, serums and double cleansing!

Ok how in gods name did I get to 51, relatively well educated, and not know this??

They can be used interchangeably though, both words have the same meaning. I think.

I had ark-wahd and orquid as two different words in my head until I was at least eleven.

I always tell my kids that you should be impressed by people who mispronounce words, because it means they read a lot.

@JassyRadlett

I had ark-wahd and orquid as two different words in my head until I was at least eleven.

I always tell my kids that you should be impressed by people who mispronounce words, because it means they read a lot.

I guess it also suggests that they are out of kilter with the educational level of the people around them, if they never hear the words in conversation/have Radio 4 and BBC 2 on in the house etc.

[quote maartjebaabes]@JemimaTiggywinkle.

"my dentist is not in a very salubrious location. Meaning it’s down an alleyway with a strip club."

Open wide and say aaah[/quote]
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂🤣

@ohthatmissmith

Years ago, I thought the word 'twat' was just the same as 'twit'. One day at work at a major plc the big chief, the new CEO, unexpectedly dropped into the office I was in... and, well getting the wrong meaning of that word dropped me in a bit of bother.

I used 'prat' & plonker in a similar situation.

I was told if I'm going to use a word I should know its meaning! I didn't know, I didn't know it though, I just thought they were both slang for 'idiot'

Catholic, as in 'catholic tastes'. I always thought it meant quite severe and repressive but it actually means broadminded and inclusive!

Not me, but my husband and in-laws use the word “weary” in the wrong place all the time.
So they’ll say, “i was really weary of the hooded stranger in the alleyway” instead of “I was really wary of the hooded stranger in the alleyway.”

I’ll correct my husband but not the in-laws as it isn’t worth the argument. He insists its right until I showed him a dictionary definition- but he won’t correct his family either! Just one of those weird little quirks.

I thought capers were fish for far too long (until I was about 28 and decided to make some home made tartare sauce)

I guess it also suggests that they are out of kilter with the educational level of the people around them, if they never hear the words in conversation/have Radio 4 and BBC 2 on in the house etc.

Yep, though I’d take that as cultural capital, rather than individual intelligence or education. Which is definitely a factor. Another issue with a lot of kids will be coming from non-English-speaking families, so they have less exposure to English vocab.

Or like a lot of us, just not associating a word we’ve heard with a word firmly embedded in our heads as being pronounced a different way for WAY longer than is objectively reasonable. I’m really interested in the links between this and early independent reading - I know that I stopped my parents reading to me when I was pretty young because I preferred reading to myself and I was an early reader. I know there were a lot of words that I knew what they looked like, and what they meant (or close enough, from context) but at six or seven my pronunciations of them were very much my own.

"I keep seeing 'regime' used when 'regimen' is meant. I keep imagining some sort of S American junta getting involved with face masks, serums and double cleansing!

Ok how in gods name did I get to 51, relatively well educated, and not know this??

They can be used interchangeably though, both words have the same meaning. I think."

Those people were not wrong: www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/regime
Look at meaning 3 in particular.

Yes, I think regime is fine in those contexts - skincare regime etc.

I used 'prat' & plonker in a similar situation. I was told if I'm going to use a word I should know its meaning! I didn't know, I didn't know it though, I just thought they were both slang for 'idiot'

So did I until I just googled then. Plonker means penis

I'd still use them in polite company though - I think the original meanings are sufficiently obscure now.

It's funny isn't it, I heard Pratt, Plonker and Twat growing up as all meaning you idiot.

Was really shocked that Twat and Plonker were actually quite rude.

I'd be interested to knwo how many people STILL think they are rude, or if the meaning has moved completely over to the 'idiot' one?

Given I grew up with the idiot meaning and I am ahem not a spring chicken

Or was it purely regional? Which is alos interesting, as I am a Southerner, but went to school in Liverpool for a few years and I definitely in my head think of them with Liverpudlian accent

I just checked some dictionaries for 'plonker'. They all just say it means a stupid person or words to that effect. It seems to have had a few meanings; the slang usage as 'penis' comes after some of the others.

www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/145905

I am increasingly seeing people using the word, curb when they mean, kerb. I know the Americans say curb but it’s not UK English. Or at least it never used to be.

Of course my annoyance would carry more weight if my opening sentence grammar wasn’t so poor!

@steppemum

It's funny isn't it, I heard Pratt, Plonker and Twat growing up as all meaning you idiot.

Was really shocked that Twat and Plonker were actually quite rude.

I'd be interested to knwo how many people STILL think they are rude, or if the meaning has moved completely over to the 'idiot' one?

Given I grew up with the idiot meaning and I am ahem not a spring chicken

Or was it purely regional? Which is alos interesting, as I am a Southerner, but went to school in Liverpool for a few years and I definitely in my head think of them with Liverpudlian accent

I would never use idiot as I still see it as pejorative in the same way as moron, imbecile, cretin etc.

I do use plonker but I know it means penis. It's as offensive as dick or knob ie not very but still not suitable in certain company.

@NellyJames

I am increasingly seeing people using the word, curb when they mean, kerb. I know the Americans say curb but it’s not UK English. Or at least it never used to be.

Depends how far back you go - they're from the same etymology, old French courbe apparently.

Come to think of it, I only comparatively recently realized the difference between "farther" and "further."

In French, 'onctueux' to describe food means soft and velvety. It sounds appetising to me.
English-speaking cooks and food critics are most likely using unctuous with this meaning.

Wrt to quite, I was extremely disappointed when I prepared a special meal for someone who had learnt their English in the USA and they declared the main dish 'quite nice'. They nearly didn't get dessert.

I’ve always thought it odd, that “fill in” and “fill out” mean the same when completing a form.

@Mamanyt there is a difference?

I too thought how polloi meant the rich

Banal does rhyme with canal if you have a northern accent. Southern and RP would not have it rhyming.

That’s what I assume. I’m South West and say:
Buh-Nahl because I also say Glahs (Glass) and Bah-th (Bath) and Cah-stle (Castle)

But why then doesn’t I also apply that Canal (which I pronounce Ca-NAL) so weird