"Step foot"

[MrsDoylesLastTeabag]

When did "to set foot" become "to step foot"? It grinds my gears.

Kindle Unlimited offers self-published books which get onto the platform via KDP Select.

Mind you, I've found some howlers in novels by established popular authors whose work is issued by proper publishers - who evidently no longer employ editors.

This really annoys me too and I've noticed it in lots of BBC programme subtitles, published books etc. I'm amazed editors don't know better!

I've told on here before about how my editor (traditional publisher) tried to make me change 'another think coming' to 'another THING coming', and it turned out to be the hill I actually would die on. I wrote out my explanation in full as to why THINK was correct and THING made an utter nonsense of the saying.

'Think' stayed in the book.

Argh. I keep seeing step foot too.

So obvious people don't read anymore. Including my own teen DC who would rather watch TikTok. We have started to insist on them reading a broadsheet most days. We're probably very old fashioned.

No! That was wrong, wrong, wrong. Your editor was wrong. Completely wrong. It's definitely 'another think coming'. You are 100% correct.

I know. Can't stand the 'another thing coming', I mean, what do they think the whole phrase is??

I managed to convince my editor and I hope she's not reverted....

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat

There was a very long thread about exactly this saying recently (although not in pedants' corner).

Unbelievably there were several people saying that "thing" is correct, and twisting themselves into ludicrous contortions to prove their point. Apparently it's "regional". No, it isn't bloody regional, it's just wrong.

See also lend/borrow. That's also "regional" according to a lot of posters. NO IT BLOODY ISN'T*

"I borrowed him some money" makes no sense whatsoever.

I think (thing?) that I might even have taken part in that particular discussion. If I didn't it was only because anger sent my blood pressure so high that I had to go and lie down.

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat 😅

I totally get that!

I found on that thread a link showing the OED has an error in its examples of 'thing' for 'think'. I posted a new thread about that, but nobody noticed. My nightmare is if/when the dictionaries accept 'should of' as a variant rather than an error.

"I of always said that people should spell how they like" is my go-to.

I personally prefer "I couldn't give less of a shit." I think this is logically and grammatically correct.

Just heard "stepped foot" being used in a BBC drama. Really jarring.

Step foot is American. I blame da yoof for reading too much romantasy.

There’s a recent post describing something as happening ‘in one foul swoop’.

It’s about something nasty so makes a wonderful kind of sense.

In America it’s step foot - I have brought it up with some well educated people over here as incorrect and they assure me it’s correct in USA English - was the author American? Or was it spoken? I read a book set in and the (English) character said ‘step foot’ it was an American author and in my book group I claimed it was incorrect but was told it’s not so then I said it’s incorrect for a Victorian English person! I still think I am correct!

Is it an Americanism?

I found "inbetween" within the first 20 pages of a novel the other day. Published by Penguin.

It was a British drama on the BBC set in Britain. (In Scotland, if that makes any difference.)

Grammar sites seem to universally label 'step' as incorrect, and 'set' as correct. This despite its prevalence at about a fifth of usages. Many condemn 'step' coupled with 'foot' as tautology. Some say it is an eggcorn. It is wrong everywhere, any time.

Thank God. I would die on that hill too. I guess that explains to me why I see so many mistakes like this in books, the editors just have no clue.

There was a thread where people claimed pack lunch is regional. A lot of people explained that "pack up" is regional and pack lunch is just incorrect but some were not convinced.

Part of the problem is that some smaller publishers are outsourcing editing, so editing is being done by freelancers. And some of them are really quite young and have never heard some of these sayings - all they have to go on is the volume of useage that comes from online sources. This is why not correcting this kind of mistake can be an unkindness, because otherwise it goes unchallenged and is copied and replicated everywhere until people start to honestly think it is correct.

I read a lot and I’m noticing more and more errors like this creeping into books. Step foot, a slither of something instead of a sliver, prone instead of supine. It’s depressing.

I’ve noticed in journalism too.

In Mumsnet there is barely a thread without clangers. Or should I say bearly?