..."to all intensive purposes..."

[BelfastBloke]

Anyone notice this yesterday in a thread?

I kept waiting for a pedant to jump in, but you didn't.

What are some other comedy mishearings?

Someone at work when I was in a lowly temp job whilst at university told me that something couldn't be done on a 'red hot' basis. That'd be 'ad hoc' .

DH is an academic. He once had to mark an essay which claimed X was 'by enlarge' the same same as Y.

Letter home from school today included the phrase "more faster"

(DD wants to tell the office it's tautological, but I've told her they'll think she's obnoxious)

'With all due retrospect'

Planning for the snow, I've been searching Halfords website for sledges and toboggans. I'm not the only one. A reviewer bought a sledge because they're "pre-emptying" the snowfall.

I'm not sure I can buy a sledge with a spelling mistake; although Halfords does say it is 'lightening fast'.

Is its fast lightening property due to its being pre-emptying?

I did wonder something like that, Jux.

Fanny - I used to be an academic, and once marked an essay in which the student referred throughout to Henry Gibson. Rather than Henrik Ibsen. My mind boggled - the correct name was surely printed on the front of the blardy collection of plays? Unless he hadn't even bothered to buy the text. Which was quite likely. Gah.

'All my complaints fell on deft ears'

"Money is the route of all evil".

See, Jux, I think "Money is the route of all evil" is a fine misspelling, because it's also a mishearing.

I love mishearings - that's what's so enjoyable about this thread. Where it changes the meaning of the phrase, but it's still fascinating to work out the logic behind the mistaken phrase, think about WHY people might think that is correct.

Yes, I enjoy them too (didn't know they had a name - my parents called them misunderstanding). I like the logic of this one, too.

according to an acquaintances FB she is " supporting the eskimo look today".

That would be 'sporting' then, I guess?

Oh - the mortification of missing out an apostrophe in Pedants' Corner of all places!

An absolute cracker from a thread today:

"Lazlo's hierarchy of needs".

That's Abraham Maslow you're thinking of. Who exactly is this Lazlo fellow?

"... I was a bit peaked at hearing that."

And on facebook, a picture of a home-made party invitation: "Your invited to a party..." Not made by a child - made by a parent who was advertising them for sale!

My daughter was, apparently "not very absorbent" so was hit on the head by a football - this from a TA ... the word she meant (I think) was observant

at the thought of absorbent daughter!

Jux - it is the family joke now - she can take the dog out in the rain as she's not absorbent.....

I have seen official communications from a large financial company with the phrase "If you had of been invested in the following fund, your investment would now be worth..."

Worked on a perfume counter 20 years ago and was asked for "Anus Anus" perfume

Aunt of mine talking about an elderly relative who was going "Fair Isle" (now when anyone in the family forgets or loses anything, they are said to have this condition!)

(not really a misspelling or mispronunciation issue but same aunt, when tasting caviar for the first time, announced "Jaysis this tastes of fish!")

My boss insists on "honing in on the problem" - instead of honing skills, or homing in on the problem - drives me nuts!

Forgot "casting asparagus on your character" - a mispronunciation from a family do years ago that is now standard instead of the correct phrase!

"the love of money is the root of all evil."

Just seen that people have a 'tenancy' to behave in a certain way.