Malapropisms I’ve heard over the last few days; wonder if they’re becoming common:
“Tenements” instead of “tenets.”
“Gambit” instead of “gamut.”
Yes, language evolves but English is already difficult enough. Let’s not make it worse.
Malapropisms I’ve heard over the last few days; wonder if they’re becoming common:
“Tenements” instead of “tenets.”
“Gambit” instead of “gamut.”
Yes, language evolves but English is already difficult enough. Let’s not make it worse.
I first heard gambit for gamut about 20 years ago on TV (a restaurant owner was describing how the menu “runs a variety of gambits” so I don’t think that’s new.
I haven’t heard tenements for tenets, but I’ve definitely heard tenants for tenets.
With that one though I think what’s going on is nasal spread. That is, for speakers of many dialects (like mine) any vowel after a nasal consonant is nasalized and so tenet with a nasalized second e will sound like tenant. I can keep my nasal spread (also called nasal smear) under control in more formal circumstances but sometimes I don’t bother.
And of course calvary for cavalry is pretty common.
My favorite — because it makes me laugh every time — is “escape goat” for “scapegoat.”
I just image someone galloping away from a threatening situation on a very displeased goat.
I imagine someone picking up a random goat and throwing it at their pursuers to slow them down. Or better yet, dragging a goat around with them everywhere they go for just that purpose.
I wonder if airlines would let you take your escape goat on board the way they do seeing eye dogs….