Art of pronouncing words incorrectly- confidently! (Part 3)

After publishing a few posts on some very serious topics, it’s time for a light-hearted post. Here comes the 3^rd edition of my personal favourite – Art of pronouncing words incorrectly – confidently!

As I get acquainted with new people every day, I also get acquainted with new words and phrases used by these people.

So, I met someone yesterday who was very excited about the recently concluded Euro Cup. We were casually talking about the results of the game and there goes my friend, “It was such a gripping match. I was literally on tenderhooks.” As expected, I have no idea what this person said after that. I was only visualising him hanging on “tender” hooks. Little background: The correct usage is “To be on tenterhooks”. This simply means to be waiting in anticipation of what is to happen in a tense situation. Literally, a tenter is a wooden frame used to hang newly woven woolen cloth in order to prevent it from shrinking as it dries. The tenterhooks, obviously, are the hooks on the tenter used to hold the cloth in place. The figurative sense, which developed in the late 18th or early 19th century, comes from the fact that cloth hung on tenterhooks is tense and stretched. Those adjectives might also describe the mental state of someone in anxious suspense over something. (Source: http://grammarist.com/)

Moving on, still reeling from the shock, it was time for another. This one came from a conversation between two girls that I overheard:

Girl 1: I have news to share... I am getting married!

Girl 2: Oh wow! Congratulations!!! Who is the lucky boy?

Girl 1: His name is … He works in … company. Here’s a picture of him.

Girl 2: My God! He is very good looking and looks very heighted.

This last statement piqued my interest. HEIGHTED??? Did she mean he was tall? Gosh! What’s with them people!

Anyway, here are some more words I have picked up since the last edition.

When someone leaves a place stealthily, please DO NOT say “They snuck out”. Although it might be sound like the correct past tense, it is not! Let’s stick to “sneaked out”, please.

Did you know there is a shopping mall just “acrossed” the road from my workplace? Please, let’s just keep the paths of “across” and “cross” from crossing.

I often come across people who are interviewing “cannidates” for positions in their teams. I am always left wondering how these people, who don’t even know how to pronounce the word properly, are fit to conduct interviews. Do these things just not matter anymore, “expecially” in organisations where employees deal with people from all over the world!

This next one can easily pass off as the correct pronunciation, unless there is a pesky Grammar Nazi around. The word “relevant” is often mispronounced as “revelant”. Let’s give people the benefit of the doubt and let it pass as a slip of tongue or is it tongue of slip!?  

Now comes the one that really annoys me. I have no idea why people call a photograph “pitcher” instead of “picture”. A pitcher is a serving jug / jar with a handle…

I had to save the best for last:

I am happy to discuss more over a pitcher of beer!