this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2025
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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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[–] frezik@midwest.social 3 points 28 minutes ago* (last edited 26 minutes ago)

Online in general: using "reductio ad absurdum" as a fallacy.

It's a longstanding logical tool. Here's an example of how it works: let's assume you can use infinity as a number. In that case, we can do:

∞ + 1 = ∞

And:

∞ - ∞ = 0

Agreed? If so, then:

∞ - ∞ + 1 = ∞ - ∞

And therefore:

1 = 0

Which is absurd. If we agree that all the logical steps to get there are correct, then the original premise (that we can use infinity as a number) must be wrong.

It's a great tool for teasing out incorrect assumptions. It has never been on any academic list of fallacies, and the Internet needs to stop saying otherwise. It's possible some other fallacy is being invoked while going through an argument, but it's not reductio ad absurdum.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 points 21 minutes ago

About 1 in 3 posters here say “loose” when they mean “lose”

[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 4 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

Yeah /yĕ′ə, yă′ə, yā′ə/ is a different word than Yea /yā/

[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 2 points 1 hour ago

"addicting"

[–] CoffeeJunkie@lemmy.cafe 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I know someone that says 'Pacific' instead of 'specific'. The man has his talents & his place in the world, food man, but yes that is infuriating.

[–] tyrefyre@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 hours ago

I know someone who calls it the “Specific Ocean”

[–] Poop@lemmy.ca 14 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Using "racking" instead of the correct "wracking" in "wracking my brain". Not very common, but it annoys me... But not as much as "could of"... That is the worst, just stop it!

This is online and in person in Canada.

[–] witty_username@feddit.nl 18 points 5 hours ago (6 children)

Niche is pronounced neesh and not nitch

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 23 minutes ago

I heard Nice things about France

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

I've heard this one like 3 times in the last month on youtube and it bothers me a lot

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[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 22 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

This thread peaks my interest.

I hope my words piqued someone else’s interests more.

[–] SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world 8 points 5 hours ago

Oh this one's peak

Haha is this a follow up on that one post with the OP writing "back-petal"?

[–] Kagu@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (2 children)

"that begs the question". I wish people would just use the more correct "raises the question", especially people doing educational/academic content. I hear it across the English-speaking internet

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[–] 8000gnat@reddthat.com 3 points 3 hours ago

Idiocracy is literally a documentary anymore

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