Has DH got another think coming or have I got another thing coming???

[NotMyRealName2015]

I’ll clarify

DH and I were having a light hearted debate about who was going to sort the garden out this afternoon (there are weeds growing out of weeds, and we have guests coming this week)
DH said that if I thought he was doing it today ‘I had another thing coming’.

I pointed out the phrase was ‘another think coming’ and that he should now go and do the garden as punishment for his failure.
However, he is insisting I am wrong and that ‘thing’ is the right word. I say that doesn’t even make sense! What ‘thing’ is coming?? He just says ‘English doesn’t always make sense.’ (Not technically his first language but he has a British parent so has always been bilingual and is completely fluent)

MN jury needed. Who is correct??
Loser will obviously be doing the garden. Winner will sit down with coffee and biscuits, looking smug and saying 'you've missed a bit.'

Well I've always said thing and have never heard anyone say anything else. So I think your DH is probably right for current usage, even if you are right for origin.

Bugrit What linguistic trickery?

You (earlier): It may be referred to only obliquely.

You acknowledge that "thing" (rather than "think") as the first noun to which another will be added is not specifically mentioned. You have to imply its existence in order to force your version to make sense.

And argue that the implied existence of an unmentioned noun is more correct and makes more sense than referencing the noun specifically mentioned.

Linguistic trickery.

I always get ice/ise confused too.

Put ice (noun) in your drink when you exerc-ise (verb).

Now the one I'm grappling with is who/whom.

I've never heard anybody ever say "another think coming" and assumed that was a typo in your post.

It's another THING coming!

Goodness gracious me.

Hmm, far too clever for me. I can sort of see what you mean, but I'm looking at it in a much simpler way.

The moment you start talking you're implying things. The moment you start to talk about a potential event, it is implied.

And in any case, I'm not arguing that it's more correct, only that the people who are saying it's wrong because there is no thing being referred to are wrong. Clearly there IS a thing. Saying 'another thing' is wrong, but that's not the reason why it's wrong.

makes more sense than referencing the noun specifically mentioned.

But it's not a noun, is it? It's a verb. There's a certain logic behind the assumption that a noun ('thing') would be matched with another noun (the thing happening), rather than with a verb.

So, Ghoul, is someone "right for current usage" if they say "should of," as opposed to "should have?"
No, BECAUSE IT'S INCORRECT!!!

Maybe we could all just agree that people who say

"I could care less"

deserve a massive slap in the face.

At least THAT clearly makes no sense whatsoever!!!!

Look, it's 'think'. I don't dispute that. And the reason it's right is because it's fucking right and 'thing' is wrong. That's it. There doesn't have to be another reason.

My main issue is with people saying that it makes no sense because there is no thing being referred to: this is just so clearly nonsense yet person after person has said it. I'm not arguing that this means that thing makes more sense than think here, but I AM stating that there is a thing being referred to. That's it.

JonSnow refers to cases where the thing being referred to isn't a thing. I asked for examples but I'm clearly not going to get any because it's utterly impossible to produce such a thing.

Crossposted, annie, but my point still stands I think. I accept its wrong; what I'm pointing out is that there is a thing being referred to. Many people have claimed otherwise.

You said EXACTLY that above, that 'THING' makes MORE sense than 'THINK'. I think it was you, anyway.

You're right, I did, but in this case I was referring specifically to what I was saying in that post. I'm on two minds now as to which makes more sense to me now: some of the posts have made me see the phrase in a new light. I've never given this much thought to it.

in normal language, a THING is a thing, an object. Not a concept or a belief. People don't generally refer to their thoughts or beliefs as "things".

Well, think of a phrase like 'Something happened.' In my view using 'thing' to refer to an event that could happen is part of normal language.

It's clearly 'think' - it means that the person needs to think again because their first conclusion is incorrect. I have never, ever heard anyone say it as 'thing'.

Fascinating. I was SO sure it was thing (was one of the first to post). It's just what I've always said, I never even thought about it too hard. I think I thought it was a sort of vague threat, where the 'other thing' was something mildly unpleasant for the recipient.

I'm a bit of a pedant and I normally get this sort of question right, so I just assumed and posted without even checking. That'll teach me!

Standing corrected.

OK, so tango you can have some special MN for standing corrected and pledging to be a better person in future and use the correct term.

Unlike all those other people who say they're going to carry on saying 'thing' even though it's wrong.

All I know is if I start saying you have another think coming I'm going to get a lot of weird looks from people right or wrong ! Hahahaha

This thread reminds me of a story a friend told me about their grandad who put salad cream on his apple pie as he had mistaken it for custard.

Everyone in the family tried to tell him it wasn't custard but they were wrong because he was always right and anyway what if he actually likes apple pie and salad cream? So, yeah, "Mr Always Right" ate apple pie and salad cream while everyone else looked on in horror.

Admit your mistakes, don't be too proud lest you end up eating them one day!

OR

Grandad was a culinary genius and the aforementioned food comb is delicious. I don't know. Don't listen to me, just rambling

Frequent - but the point is, if you say "think coming" in normal speech, the 'k' and 'c' will elide and those who think it is "thing" will hear "thing", those who think it is "think" will hear "think".

If anyone ever does hear the distinction and questions it, point them to this thread, and job done!

Because think in the second part of the expression is (intentionally) ungrammatical, some people hear another thing coming and repeat it as such. Plus, another thing coming usually makes literal sense, so it’s now more common than another think coming.

So both are right anyway ? But thing is now what people say more often. As it says thing is more common nowadays. You and your husband can celebrate that you were both right !