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

812 replies

NotMyRealName2015 · 01/11/2015 14:56

I’ll clarify Blush

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. Grin
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.'

OP posts:
Grapejuicerocks · 01/11/2015 16:06

I clicked on this thinking this'll be a short thread with everybody saying the op was right. My gob was well and truly smacked when all the first posts said that DH was right.

Of course it is think.

annandale · 01/11/2015 16:07

Think.

Go and help in the garden nowSmile having comprehensively won

squoosh · 01/11/2015 16:07

I was surprised by all the firm 'thing'ers at the start of the thread too.

StarkyTheDirewolf · 01/11/2015 16:07

I'm going to ask my family at teatime, see if I can get a consensus there. Maybe it's regional.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 01/11/2015 16:08

I think it's more likely you're mishearing everyone as they sound so similar when spoken and you are expecting everyone to say 'thing' rather than everyone you know is getting it wrong fatty.

annandale · 01/11/2015 16:10

Don't tell me everyone's started saying 'Thing on' instead of 'think on' because it would be about the same and equally wrong.

FattyNinjaOwl · 01/11/2015 16:10

Nope they definitely say thing. They don't sound similar to me at all Confused

Maybe it is regional starky I've just asked DP and he says he's only ever heard thing too.

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 01/11/2015 16:11

This reminds me of people saying "all intensive purposes" instead of "all intents and purposes" Angry

Don't people realise that the words they are speaking make no sense? Confused

Pranmasghost · 01/11/2015 16:11

Of course it is 'think'. 'Thing' is just so wrong...if you think that you have another think coming. No question at all.

crabbiearses · 01/11/2015 16:12

its another think, its commonly mistaken and said as another thing, you win.

CactusAnnie · 01/11/2015 16:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OTheHugeManatee · 01/11/2015 16:12

He's wrong. You're right. It's 'think' not 'thing'.

Quite a nice eggcorn though.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 01/11/2015 16:12

Well I find it really weird that you're all saying 'thing' and that its clearly wrong. Very peculiar.

annandale · 01/11/2015 16:13

It's a linguistic phenomenon I've forgotten the name of - because 'coming' starts with the c/k sound it's easy to lose track of the k sound at the end of 'think'.

What's interesting is all the justifications people come up with for it.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 01/11/2015 16:13

I could have sworn it was thing but have to admit a certain logic from posters defending think
Will catch up now on the rest of the thread having read page one - and see how the jury is falling ....

Footle · 01/11/2015 16:13

Two more 'think' votes here.

Tangfastics · 01/11/2015 16:14

Oh bollocks.

I hate it when I'm wrong Grin

clam · 01/11/2015 16:15

"I've always used thing and shall continue to, never occurred to me that it would be think."

Hmm Okaaay. So it's been pointed out quite categorically on here that "thing" is incorrect, but you're going to carry on using it anyway? and have people think you're ignorant?

chemenger · 01/11/2015 16:17

Think is right, thing makes no sense.

clam · 01/11/2015 16:18

So, if you're someone who's always said "pacific" instead of "specific," and it was pointed out to you that you're wrong, you'd carry on using the term anyway?

Why?

GreenPotato · 01/11/2015 16:18

Wow this thread has amazed me. To me it's thing, because I heard/saw that for years and years before I ever heard/saw "think". I assumed "think" was a mistake though it's quite nice and makes sense, so either is fine by me, but sure "thing" was there first.

"You've got another thing coming" i.e. someone is going to react to your reaction, by getting angry or making you buck your ideas up or whatever. You are not going to be able to relax in your assumptions, something else will happen.

Another "think" coming just sounds like slightly bad English which is why I thought it was the mistaken version.

I'll continue to say "another thing coming"

Fizrim · 01/11/2015 16:19

Think here!

GreenPotato · 01/11/2015 16:20

I think it's fine to choose which you like and use it, as both are so widely used. Language and phrases do change, and there are are plenty of things where there are two (or more) usages.

clam · 01/11/2015 16:20

GreenPotato Your explanation makes no sense, I'm afraid.

And "thing" was not there first!

NoArmaniNoPunani · 01/11/2015 16:20

Think