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English Errors: 'It's a doggy dog world'
Jagruti Sharma
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August 20, 2007

For most of us, English is still a challenge. With all its irregularities, exceptions and rules, it is a very difficult language to master. With that in mind, rediff.com presents our English Bloopers series. Here, we publish written and spoken mistakes spotted and sent to us by observant Get Ahead readers.

It's a great way to review the basics, clarify a few issues and share a laugh or two! So, stop by three times a week for another fresh batch of English Bloopers.

Today, we present the first half of a list of bloopers that have become so common, they're hardly even recognised as errors! Later this week, we'll publish the second half, so stay tuned.

Let's get started:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was said

What was meant

a stigmatism

astigmatism

abolishment

abolition

acrosst

across

ad homonym

ad hominem

aerobic numbers

Arabic numbers

affidavid

affidavit

afterall

after all

all goes well

augurs well

all of the sudden

all of a sudden

alphabeticalise

alphabetise

altercations

alterations

alterior

ulterior

anachronism

acronym

ambliance

ambulance

anticlimatic

anticlimactic

anchors away

anchors aweigh

antivenom

antivenin

aperpo

� propos

apples and organs

apples and oranges

arm's way

harm's way

artical

article

as a pose to

as opposed to

ashfault

asphalt

assessible

accessible

assumably

presumably

at leased

at least

balling out

bawling out

based around

based on

batter an eyelid

bat an eyelid

bear the blunt

bear the brunt

beautify a saint

beatify a saint

beckon call

beck and call

begs belief

beggars belief

besiege

beseech

beyond approach

beyond reproach

bids well

bids fair, bodes well

binded

bound

bled like a stuffed pig

bled like a stuck pig

blessing in the sky

blessing in disguise

blindsighted

blindsided

a board of director

a member of a board of directors

boom to the economy

boon to the economy

bonafied

bona fide

bored of

bored with

bowl in a china shop

bull in a china shop

bran new

brand new

built off of

built on or upon

buttox

buttocks

BVD player

DVD player

by in large or enlarge

by and large

Cadillac converter

catalytic converter

card shark

cardsharp

carport tunnel

carpal tunnel

case and point

case in point

cease and decease

cease and desist

cease the day

seize the day

chalked full

chock-full

cheap at half the price

cheap at twice the price

chester drawers

chest of drawers

chicken pops

chicken pox

chomp at the bit

champ at the bit

chow

ciao

circus sized

circumcised

clearified

clarified

cohabitate

cohabit

collaborating evidence

corroborating evidence

component

opponent

conversate

converse

conservative effort

concerted effort

copywrite

copyright

copywritten

copyrighted

coronated

crowned

coronet

cornet

cortage

cortege

coruscating

excoriating

a couple guys

a couple of guys

coup de gras

coup de grace

cream de mint

creme de menthe

crimp my style

cramp my style

crossified

crucified

culvert sack

cul de sac

cumberbun

cummerbund

cut to the chaff

cut to the chase

darkest before the storm

darkest before the dawn

dead wringer

dead ringer

debockle

debacle

deformation of character

defamation of character

deja vous

deja vu

detrius

detritus

diabolically opposed

diametrically opposed

dialate

dilate

differ payment

defer payment

diswraught

distraught

documentated

documented

doggy dog world

dog-eat-dog world

do to

due to

down the pipe

down the pike

dresser draw

dresser drawer

drownded

drowned

drownding

drowning

drudged up

dredged up

dry reach

dry retch

electorial college

electoral college

end justifies the meaning

end justifies the means

enervate

energise

escape goat

scapegoat

esculate

escalate

exasperated

exacerbated

excape

escape

exhilarator

accelerator

expecially

especially

expeculation

speculation

expediate

expedite

exuberant price

exorbitant price

eyesaw

eyesore

fair to midland

fair to middling

far and few between

few and far between

fast majority

vast majority

fate accompli

fait accompli

final throws

final throes

first come, first serve

first come, first served

flustrated

frustrated

foilage

foliage

foul swoop

fell swoop

gave me slack

gave me flak

gentile manners

genteel manners

gentlelady

gentlewoman

genuses

genera

glaucomole

glaucoma

glaze over

gloss over

gleam

glean

gone array

gone awry

gorilla warfare

guerilla warfare

got my dandruff up

got my dander up

greatfruit

grapefruit

harbringer

harbinger

heared

heard

harps back

harks back

hearst

hearse

heart-rendering

heart-rending

Heineken remover

Heimlich maneuver

here on end

here on in

High Iraqi

hierarchy

hobbiest

hobbyist

hold down the fort

hold the fort

hurtles to overcome

hurdles to overcome

howsomever

however

I seen

I saw or I've seen

ice tea

iced tea

imbedded

embedded

flaw in the ointment

fly in the ointment

hare's breath

hair's breadth

high dungeon

high dudgeon

ideallic

ideal or idyllic

impaling doom

impending doom

imput

input

in another words

in other words

in lieu of

in light of

in mass

en masse

in sink

in synch

in the same vane or vain

in the same vein

incredulous

incredible

indiscrepancy

discrepancy

insinnuendo

insinuation or innuendo

insuremountable

insurmountable

in tact

intact

interduce

introduce

internally grateful

eternally grateful

intragul

integral

it's beggars belief

it beggars belief

ivy tower

ivory tower

jack of all traits

jack of all trades

jaundra

genre

jest of the idea

gist of the idea

just assume

just as soon

kindly

kind of

kit gloves

kid gloves

lacksadaisical

lackadaisical

lamblasted, landblasted

lambasted

land up

end up, land

landlover

landlubber

lapse into a comma

lapse into a coma

larnyx

larynx

laxidaisical

lackadaisical

lively hood

livelihood

love one and other

love one another

low and behold

lo and behold

ludicrust

ludicrous

make ends meat

make ends meet

make head or tale

make head or tail

masonary

masonry

mean time

meantime

menestrate

menstruate

MORE English bloopers

If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/ write in English, do mail your list, along with their correct alternatives to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also, make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.


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