"another think coming" or "another thing coming" - AIBU to suggest we accept both?

[JAM2018]

Christmas is a time for chestnuts and I've been musing on this old one...

"If you're planning to go to the party wearing that, you've got another..."

...think coming

OR

...thing coming

?

The facts appear to be that "think" was in the original phrase, but - rightly or wrongly - "thing" is well-established as an alternative:

"Another think coming" - examples have been found from before 1900: itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004972.html

"Another thing coming" - example exists from 1919: itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004971.html

As that second link (written by an academic linguist) mentions, the OED sees "thing" as a misapprehension of "think", but both seem popular.

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Arguments I've heard on either side plus my response:

"another think coming" doesn't make sense / think is a verb --> 'think' can be a noun, you could be saying "if you think that you are going out dressed like that, then what is coming to you is some time where you will need to sit down and have another think (until you change your mind)", "Have a good think about this" - 'think' is a noun.

"think coming" isn't easy to say, the 'k' and 'c' clash --> yes, but that doesn't mean it's not a valid phrase, but it probably does explain the mishearing or preference for "thing coming"

"another thing coming" doesn't make sense - what "thing"? if it's "another", what's the first "thing" --> lots of idiomatic phrases are hard to make sense of when you try to analyse them (I thought of "sick as a parrot" off the top of my head - but parrots aren't sick? oh, and actually, what on earth is the sense of "off the top of my head"?). There's enough sense for people to use it: "if this is the thing that you are planning to do, then you are mistaken, and you will soon discover that there is another (different) thing that you will be doing [ thing that will be happening to you]".

But everyone I know says "think" / everyone I know says "thing" / it's what I've always said --> are you sure that's what everyone is saying because it's hard to distinguish in spoken English? For most of my life, I just naturally thought it was "thing", and now I'm convinced the 'correct' version is "think", but I'm not too fussed about "thing" as it is so common.

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I was amused when years ago, David Cameron used it in a speech, and two separate articles in The Telegraph quoted him, one writing "thing" and one "think" (unfortunately, I've searched and can no longer find the articles).

So, you can go on fighting for your choice and insist that logic is on your side. Personally, I just appreciate the way both have been accepted and I enjoy it when people discover the other version for the first time. AIBU?

YABU = you need to pick a side

YANBU = agree, let both thrive

Team think, here and I hate "literally" being used as an intensifier.

But the one that always gets me is "should/would of".

I have to bite my tongue when I hear that, my inner pedant screams* "Of is NOT a verb" and I have trouble restraining myself.

*not literally, of course.

That's a bit ridiculous given "think" is the original phrase and is well-documented in published texts. To be honest, "expresso" is an understandable error, while "rest bite" is obviously an 'eggcorn' out of ignorance. You come across as highly judgemental just labelling people thicko on the basis of one error.

Can I make a plea that we don't discuss "should of" - it's been done to death here (and many other places).

No, they come across as judgemental labelling people thicko on the basis of getting something right!

YANBU... Only because it's Christmas 🎄

I say thing. I know it's supposed to be think.

I always thought it was saying 'if you think that, then you've got another thing coming' and the 'thing' was a disaster of some kind to me that makes more sense.

If someone says 'you have another think coming' how do they know I'm about to think something else?! What I'm thinking is what I think is correct so why would I then have another think .

I'm team "think". Thing doesn't make sense to me

I work as a professional writer, editor and proofreader, and I'm one of those annoying people who gets really wound up by insanely incorrect things (should of, brought/bought, right away/right of way) .. but this was one of the ones I learned recently myself. I love learning things about language and the origins etc. I think that's why I get myself into so much trouble on here for correcting people - because I assume they'll be just as fascinated as me, and they're absolutely not!

The other one I learned was that it's seeing as and not seen as. Accent/regional dialects have a lot to answer for!

I expect the reason people say 'thing' is because the words are run together so the k gets lost next to the c, and the mistake goes on.

It is think. Anyone using thing I will judge heavily, same as them using would of etc. Or ect for that matter. I will not accept thing.

Because the meaning of the phrase is that a) you're wrong about something AND b) you'll find out you're wrong, probablt through consequences.

Eg, "If you think you're going out dressed like that, you've got another think coming." = "I'm not letting you out like that, so you'll have to think again."

It's not even a debate. All the dictionaries say 'think' and 'thing makes no sense'

Well you are showing your own ignorance, try checking the oed

I use think. But having seen how it annoys some people on hear, I will be pacifically using it from now on, purely for my own amusement.

I've never heard "thing", and I won't be saying it. It's obviously "think", and always has been.

I think it is strange that people actually want to use the wrong words or grammar. To say things that don't actually make sense. To be defiant, if not proud, of their misuse of language.
Sorry, but makes them look a bit dim, really.

As the OP says, 'think' can be used as a noun and can also very naturally be used with 'another: "I'll have a think about it." "I'm still not sure. Let me have another think about it." The only grammatically odd thing about the phrase is the use of 'coming' with 'think'.

It's obviously 'think' originally, but it's equally obvious why it's been commonly misheard. And as the OP pointed out, we don't expect proverbs and sayings to make sense anyway, or rather, we don't analyse the.

However, I do take issue with the idea that the sense of 'off the top of my head' isn't clear. It means 'without thinking deeply or delving into the depths of my brain' ie at a superficial level, thus figuratively the thought 'off the top of my head'.

‘Think’. It’s not ‘thing’.

It is difficult being a pedant.

Agree with all the annoying examples written here already.

I think dialect does play a part. Eg being’ written as ‘been’ makes me shudder. Or ‘I done’.

One ‘mistake’ which has recently annoyed me, is apparently Scottish dialect? Saying the bed ‘needs made’ instead of ‘needs making’ or ‘needs to be made’. Is this a regional thing? It feels lazy to me…

It doesn't make sense with "If you're planning to go to the party wearing that, you've got another..."

You would say:
If you think you're planning to go to the party wearing that, you've got another *think" coming.

That's why it's think not thing.

@SpicyFoodRocks - it's your last paragraph there that I take issue with. You are right that "needs made" is a Scottish variation (and also a regional variation in the USA, I believe), so why call it a mistake and describe it as lazy? Why is it any more lazy for someone to form that construction consistently (as they have learned it from speakers around them) rather than the construction you use?

I honestly don’t recall ever hearing “think”. I’ve always known it as “…another thing coming”, as in “you may have thought that would happen, but actually something else will happen instead”. I suppose that’s a slightly different meaning from “you’ll have to think again” though.

It's definitely think; thing makes no sense at all.

I was confirming here whether it was indeed a dialect thing. I don’t know. It’s fine to say this stuff. But it annoys me when it’s written down.

I am reasonably self-aware and accept that it is an unattractive, pedantic and irritating personality trait that I have. I would never say anything to anyone in real life about this though, if that makes it better?!

I am team ’People should think about the things they are saying to make sure they make sense.’

Think.

God, no. Some people’s mistake becoming a widespread one doesn’t mean I need to countenance it.