Well Hello.<\/p>\n
It’s been awhile, I know.\u00a0 I have no excuse. No reason.\u00a0 No explanation.<\/p>\n
I’ve thought of you in that, I must get back to that, kind of way. And now, here I am. Back at it. So let’s get to it.<\/p>\n
I am now continuing with words that are often used in error due to mistaken meanings through years of misuse by millions of people. Who knows if some of us start to properly use the English language it may just catch on and proper English usage may come back in vogue.<\/p>\n
What you think it means:<\/strong> Fantastic, good, wonderful. This is one that I honestly expect will be changed in the dictionary sooner than people will use it correctly, because almost no one uses the real meaning anymore. When someone says something is terrific, they mean to say it is fantastic. A true example of something terrific is bomb exploding. You see a bomb go off and it inspires fear.<\/p>\n What you may think it means:<\/strong> To cause something to change. There are those that will staunchly defend the wrong definition of this. But there is an easy way to remember, and solve any disputes: If it\u2019s a noun, it\u2019s an effect. If it\u2019s a verb, it\u2019s an affect.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> Bored. To be bored is to be uninterested and if you\u2019re uninterested, you\u2019re bored. If you have no interest or don\u2019t care about something you are disinterested and you are disinterested if you have no interest in or you don\u2019t care about something. Simple.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> Without regard. Just like conversate from my last post, irregardless isn\u2019t actually a word. When people say irregardless, they actually mean to say regardless. Regardless means without regard. Irregardless has been used so often that it actually is in the dictionary now and that\u2019s kind of sad. Even though it is technically there, there are a large number of people who don\u2019t consider it a word, and they are correct. As stated before it literally means without regardless which is utter nonsenses and means nothing.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> For example. This is one among a number of shortened words that confuse people. Here\u2019s a quick guide on how to use them. Et cetera is etc., example is ex. or e.g., and in other words is i.e. When you use i.e. you\u2019re letting the reader know you are going to give the same information in other words, in an effort to clarify a point. e.g. I love all bugs except those that fly and sting, i.e., bees and wasps.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> To destroy, slaughter or annihilate If you look in a Dictionary you would find that the definition is to kill one of every ten militarily or ten percent of something. A church Tithe is considered a decimate. One day I am sure the Dictionary will bend to popular usage and the Thesaurus synonyms of destroy, slaughter and annihilate will become the definition.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> Lucky. There is a difference between luck and chance. Unfortunately, because people use the two interchangeably, its become difficult to explain the differences anymore. Lucky is an event that happens by chance that can be described as fortunate or timely. Winning the lottery is lucky. Fortuitous means simply by chance. It has no cause or apparent cause, it is unexpected, unplanned and accidental. Winning the lottery could not be fortuitous because you had to buy the ticket, therefore it was planned, had a cause and could be expected. Finding a paper bag full of money would be fortuitous.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> A lot of something. This one is used incorrectly all the time. But it\u2019s actually pretty simple. If you have more than you need of something than you have a plethora. Pretty simple. I need a dozen cupcakes, I have 14. I have a plethora of cupcakes. To make it even simpler it means: too many.<\/p>\n What you think it means: <\/strong>Figuratively. <\/p>\n When something is literally true, it is actually true.\u00a0 People use literally along with exaggeration to demonstrate emotion: \u201cI haven\u2019t seen a movie in literally a million years.\u201d This is meant to indicate that the person hasn\u2019t seen a movie in a while. The word this person actually wants is figuratively. They figuratively haven\u2019t seen a movie in a million years. They probably literally hadn\u2019t seen a movie in a few months.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> What is permissible. When you can do something, you have capacity within you to perform that action regardless of whether or not you actually do it. When people use can incorrectly it is because they mean to use the word \u201cmay.\u201d When you ask someone if they can open the door, you did not ask them to open the door. You asked them if they were capable of opening the door. If you wish for them to perform the task, you should ask if they will open the door. When you ask if you can have something, you\u2019re not asking someone to give it to you. If you need something, ask if you may have it.<\/p>\n What you think it means:<\/strong> That something is broken or missing pieces. You\u2019ll see this one a lot in Amazon reviews. People will say that their unit came defective because it was missing a screw or pieces in the box. That\u2019s actually incorrect. What they mean to say is that their product is deficient. It\u2019s missing pieces, it is not actually broken. The machine may work perfectly fine once the missing pieces have been re-added, which means that it actually isn\u2019t defective at all.<\/p>\n What you think it means: Old, out of date. You\u2019ll see this one in the tech industry a lot. People in tech article comments will comment that a phone is obsolete when they really mean that it\u2019s out of date. The literal definition of obsolete is an item that it isn\u2019t produced, needed, or used anymore. An example of this is is the steam engine. It\u2019s largely inefficient compared to today\u2019s combustion engine and even more inefficient than the emerging electric engines. Thus, steam engines are not used, produced, or needed anymore.<\/p>\n Wrong meaning:<\/strong> A small fact.<\/p>\n Right meaning:<\/strong> A false fact.<\/p>\n The word \u201cfactoid\u201d was first used by journalist, author and activist Norman Mailer in 1973 to talk about a fact that is not true. He wrote that factoids were \u201cfacts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper\u201d\u2014that is, stuff that the media just makes up.<\/p>\n Today the word is used to refer to a \u201cbite-sized\u201d fact, a small quick fact or something that is repeated by so many people that it\u2019s eventually assumed to be true. The -oid<\/em> in factoid is a suffix<\/em> (word ending) that means \u201cresembling\u201d or \u201clike,\u201d so factoid really means \u201cfact-like.\u201d<\/p>\n Wrong meaning:<\/strong> The title of a book, TV show, etc.<\/p>\n Right meaning:<\/strong> Having, or believing that you have, the right to something.<\/p>\n When you buy a house, you\u2019re entitled to it\u2014you legally have the right to own the house. You can also be entitled to your opinion, since you have the right to speak your mind. Sometimes people can act entitled, if they act like they deserve special treatment.<\/p>\n A book, on the other hand, is never entitled, it\u2019s just titled! People often misuse this word by saying, \u201cThe best movie in the world is entitled \u2018Troll 2.\u2019\u201d This is not only untrue, it\u2019s the incorrect usage of the word. Books, movies, TV shows and anything else that has a title are \u201ctitled.\u201d<\/p>\n Wrong meaning:<\/strong> Something that will make you poisoned if you eat it, or if it bites you.<\/p>\n Right meaning:<\/strong> Something that will poison you, but only if you eat it.<\/p>\n People often think the words \u201cpoisonous\u201d and \u201cvenomous\u201d mean the same thing. And they do both deal with poison, a substance that will make you sick or even kill you. The difference is in the way the poison is administered<\/em>:<\/p>\n This is why murderers on TV shows use poison to kill their victims, they don\u2019t use venom. Another example is the pufferfish, the Japanese delicacy, which is a poisonous fish\u2014it can kill you if you eat it. A snake that can poison you, on the other hand, is venomous.<\/p>\n Wrong meaning:<\/strong> Something unfortunate.<\/p>\n Right meaning:<\/strong> Something that is the exact opposite of what you would expect.<\/p>\n \u201cIronic\u201d is one word that no one seems to get right, even native speakers! There are a few different kinds of irony, but the kind people usually mean when they use the word ironic is \u201csituational irony.\u201d This is when something happens which\u00a0is the opposite of what you\u2019d expect. For example, you go on a diet and gain 20 pounds, or the fire station burns down. Irony can be funny, in a sad kind of way.<\/p>\n The infamous song \u201cIsn\u2019t It Ironic\u201d\u00a0by Alanis Morissette has some great examples of things that are unfortunate, but not actually ironic. For instance, rain on your wedding day is only ironic if you specifically chose that day because the forecast said it would be sunny.<\/p>\n Then again, maybe the joke is on us\u2026 it\u2019s pretty ironic that a song about irony doesn\u2019t actually have any.<\/p>\n Wrong meaning:<\/strong> Very famous.<\/p>\n Right meaning: <\/strong>Famous for a negative reason.<\/p>\n Speaking of infamous people and things, this word does not mean \u201cvery famous.\u201d It actually refers to something or someone who is famous for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n Heroes are famous for their great deeds. Bank robbers, on the other hand, are infamous for their criminal deeds. Celebrities can be either, depending on how well they behave themselves (or don\u2019t).<\/p>\n Wrong meaning: <\/strong>Not flammable.<\/p>\n Right meaning:<\/strong> Flammable.<\/p>\n This mistake is very common for a very good reason: It just makes sense! As we mentioned before, the prefix in-<\/em><\/strong> means \u201cnot,\u201d so it would make sense for the word \u201cinflammable\u201d to mean \u201cnot flammable.\u201d The problem, though, is that \u201cinflammable\u201d actually comes from the word \u201cenflame.\u201d<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the difference between \u201cflammable\u201d and \u201cinflammable\u201d? Absolutely nothing. You can use either word to mean the exact same thing. As if that weren\u2019t enough, you can also use \u201cnon-flammable.\u201d English can be weird sometimes!<\/p>\n Anticipate<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe anticipate earnings will increase by $1 per share.\u201d<\/p>\n No you don\u2019t. To anticipate<\/em> means to look ahead and<\/em> prepare. So you can anticipate increased sales, but only if you are also making preparations to handle that increase in sales; for example, \u201cWe added staffing in anticipation of increased sales.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re estimating or wishful guessing, use estimate<\/em> or expect<\/em> instead.<\/p>\n Invariably<\/strong><\/p>\n This word gets tossed in to indicate frequency: \u201cInvariably, Johnny misses deadlines,\u201d is only correct if Johnny always, always, always misses deadlines, because invariably means in every case or occasion. Unless Johnny messes up each and every time, without fail, use frequently, or usually, or even almost always. And then think about his long-term employment status.<\/p>\n Waiver<\/strong><\/p>\n When you sign a waiver you give up the right to make a claim. When you waver you aren\u2019t signing it yet because you\u2019re hesitant.<\/p>\n So hey, feel free to waver to sign that waiver. Your instincts just might be correct.<\/p>\n The English language is a tricky one but it\u2019s also ever changing. Words are updated and definitions change. New words are added every year and some are retired. Very few people will ever master the entire language and the rest of us will just have get along the best we can!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thanks for holding my seat….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well Hello. It’s been awhile, I know.\u00a0 I have no excuse. No reason.\u00a0 No explanation. I’ve thought of you in that, I must get back to that, kind of way. And now, here I am. Back at it. So let’s get to it. Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say \u00a0PART TWO I am … Read moreDoes Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55,34,59,1,69,63,30,68],"tags":[37,11,61,60,14,32,62,22,65,23],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":752,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therobbinsgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> Horrific, to inspire fear, extreme.<\/p>\n2. Effect<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> An event that causes a change.<\/p>\n3. Disinterested<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> Neutral.<\/p>\n4. Irregardless<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> Nothing.<\/p>\n5. i.e.<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> In other words.<\/p>\n6. Decimate<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> To destroy ten percent.<\/p>\n7. Fortuitous<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> By chance.<\/p>\n8. Plethora<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> More than is needed.<\/p>\n9. Literally<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> Actually.<\/p>\n10. Can<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> What is possible.<\/p>\n11. Defective<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means:<\/strong> Simply that it\u2019s broken.<\/p>\n12. Obsolete<\/h2>\n
\nWhat it really means: Not produced, used, or needed.<\/p>\nFactoid<\/h3>\n
Entitled<\/h3>\n
Poisonous<\/h3>\n
\n
Ironic<\/h3>\n
Infamous<\/h3>\n
Inflammable<\/h3>\n
In conclusion<\/h2>\n