What mis-stated phrases or words do you feel still need to be corrected (online or in person) in 2025?
What mis-stated phrases or words do you feel still need to be corrected (online or in person) in 2025?
Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used, what the phrase is, and what it should be.
Example:
In America, recently came across "back-petal", instead of back-pedal. Also, still hearing "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes".
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“Saying the quiet part out loud.”
Saying things out loud is how you say them.
It’s “saying the quiet part loud.”
I think you might be on the wrong side of the argument here, as others are pointing out the 'quiet' part of that sentence isn't meant to be low volume, but more along the lines of secret or unspoken, and the 'out loud' part doesn't mean volume, it means 'spoken'.
If it helps, it's like when someone says something they were thinking and goes 'oh no, did i say that out loud?!'.... They're not specifically worried about how loudly they said it, but that they said it audibly at all when they meant to only think it.
wow this is too pedantic even for this thread
Quiet can mean either low volume or silent. So it's saying the silent part out loud-- there's no contradiction here.
Nope, quiet doesn’t mean silent on the context of verbal expression (saying something). Saying something at all indicates an audiblity. Even if that wasn’t the case, the second half clears this up for us if the distinction is between what is normal and “out loud,” then the only natural conclusion is that the alternative, expected method is silent and inaudible. Were this to be accurate it confounds the overall message and renders it illogical.
Be better, people.
Definition # 4 is the applicable one here.
When multiple people politely point out that you're wrong, perhaps digging in your heels and telling them to be better isn't the right call.
The quiet (silent) part isn't normally said. That's why the meaning is "you're saying all the parts out loud together, even the parts that are supposed to be silent/quiet". There was no indication that the "quiet part" was a verbal expression before the "out loud" modifier.
You're wrong. In this expression, the "quiet" part means the "unsaid" part. If someone tells you a secret, and they say "please keep that quiet", it means "don't tell anyone". If you're driving in the car and the kids are being rowdy in the back seat, you would say "keep quiet back there", it means "shut your mouth".
To say the quiet part out loud, means "you said the thing you intended to keep unsaid".
No, if you’re going to do mental gymnastics at least have some that are in the realm of possibility.
I think it is common to distinguish between whispering something and saying it out loud or aloud. Like if you say something private in a theatre louder than meant, your date might say, “Shh, you said that out loud.” Otherwise “out loud” would have no place at all as “say” alone would cover this meaning.
You’re right about the saying, but I think that explains the malapropism.
Nope
So, can you clarify the difference between “to say something” and “to say something out loud”?