it's "toe the line" dammit, not "tow the line...."

[mike_c]

That is all.

[MrSlayer]

1. Yes, I find that annoying as well.

Along with "Here, Here" and "Could care less".

[JuniperLea]

4. Hear, hear:)

What about "anyways" or "irregardless" or when people pronounce the "t" in "often" or when they say "nuk-yuh-lur".


Morans.


:p

[tenshi816]

16. Irregardless =

me, wanting to hit my head against a wall whever I hear the word.

[left is right]

30. I grew up in an area that always pronounces the t in often

I had to go to Encarta's dictionary to hear that you are correct. I will try to reform,starting now

[tenshi816]

10. Count me in, please.

I used to get into arguments with my stepfather when I was about 12 on the "could care less" point, which just seemed so obvious to me, because how could you say you could care less if what you meant was that you couldn't? He never got it. Happily for me, he's not my stepfather anymore either.

[MuseRider]

2. From standing at the

scratch line correct? That is how I always remember it anyway.

[TheDebbieDee]

3. Should of, could of, would of

Instead of should've, could've, would've as it should be.


Also, it's martial law, not marshall law!

[justabob]

9. martial vs marshall

drives me nuts too

[QC]

33. All those threads predicting marshall law!

They literally made me jump ten feet into the air and scream!

[patcox2]

73. I predict Marshall Crenshaw

nt

[mykpart]

59. And these are contractions for

should have, could have, would have.

[skygazer]

77. Agggghhhhhhh!~

Should HAVE, would HAVE, could HAVE which are the correct forms that could've, would've and should've are simply contractions for.

~sigh~ I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread......

[Skip Intro]

5. Its "hold the line" according to Toto (as opposed to toetoe or towtow)

I had to....

Hold The Line, by Toto
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's not in the way that you hold me
It's not in the way you say you care
It's not in the way you've been treating my friends
It's not in the way that you stayed till the end
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do


Chorus:
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh


It's not in the words that you told me, girl
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do


Chorus


(Instrumental break)


It's not in the words that you told me
It's not in the way you say you're mine, ooh
It's not in the way that you came back to me
It's not in the way that your love set me free
It's not in the way you look or the things that you say that you'll do


Chorus - love isn't always on time


Hold the line, love isn't always on time -
love isn't always, love isn't always on time
Hold the line, love isn't always on time, love isn't always on time
Love isn't always on time, love isn't always on time, oh oh oh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Redstone]

81. No, no, NO!!

"Hold the line" and "Toe the line" mean two completely different things!

Redstone

[JustJoe]

6. Yeah, damn it.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

22. Unless you're the leader of the beavers.

Then it's, "Dam it!"

[PWRinNY]

7. and the capitol/capital thing, darnit!

When mentioning DC or the capitol of any state or nation, it's capitol - with an O - not capital. Just a little peeve of my own.

[Oeditpus Rex]

52. The building is the Capitol

and it's... uh, capitalized.

The city is the capital, and it's not.

"Sacramento is the capital of California."

"I went to Sacramento and toured the Capitol."

[KoKo]

8. I'ts HOLD FIRM!...Dammit!

Does that help? :D

[Whoa_Nelly]

57. And "Stand Fast!"

:)

[ewagner]

11. Thank you

I usually ignore it but boil inside a little bit.

[IDemo]

12. It's "problem", not "issue", while we're at it n/t

[marylanddem]

13. And it is pronounced "ETcetera" - not "EXcetera" eom

[Twillig]

32. Thank you. May I add, there is no EXpresso!

and of course...

[Arkansas Granny]

82. Your picture reminds me of a tattoo a neighbor of mine had:

"Born too loose". True story.

[Donailin]

34. and it's NU-CLE-AR not nucular

someone please tell that asshat to get it right alfuckingready

[Left Is Write]

43. Nor is it EK cetera.

And the abbreviation is etc., not ect.

[TheDebbieDee]

46. Etc. not ect. That's always driven me nuts, too!

[QC]

14. And please, no more "hypocracy" or "hypocrasy."

Thank you.

[mike_c]

15. LOL-- government by hypos....

:rofl:

[Coexist]

17. and don't say "literally" unless it is literal.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. Yeah, that one just literally makes my head explode.

[QC]

24. "I was literally forty feet tall!"

Yeah, I hate that one too.

[Coexist]

27. and the infamous:

"he is literally sticking his hand in a hornet's nest with that one"

What is that from? That was really funny.

[Left Is Write]

45. You mean you weren't "literally scared to death"?

[Boo Boo]

18. Bare with me. /nt

[Left Is Write]

44. Not on the first date.

[Roho]

20. i changed it back and forth several times

please explain its origin

[Coexist]

25. It is toe -

http://www.wordorigins.org/wordort.htm
<snip>
Toe The Line
Yes, it's toe, not tow, a common mistake. Toe the line or mark dates to 1813 and is a metaphorical reference to either the start of a race, the runners conforming to the starter's orders, or to soldiers and sailors standing in formation. Many of the early citations are from the Royal Navy and this may be the source of the phrase, although this is not certain.

(Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition)

[Roho]

36. Make perfect sense

Thank you!

[RC]

21. You're - your

Heard - herd

Jeze people this ain't no freeper site.

Oh, yeah, sight - site.

[IDemo]

23. You point is taken n/t

[IDemo]

29. Eye no their our more examples out they're of pour righting.... n/t

[nytemare]

66. For all intensive purposes, that bugs me to.

:hide:

[Mrs. Overall]

26. Conditional Phrases---"If I was president..."

It's "If I WERE president..."!!!!!!!

[Maestro]

31. Yes, I hate the poor use of the subjunctive mood.

I also hate the spelling of ridiculous as rediculous. It drives me crazy.

[Left Is Write]

47. Rediculous DEFINATELY drives me crazy.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's definitely.

Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. :D

[Taxloss]

28. And it's "hear hear", not "here here".n/t

[Berry Cool]

35. And people don't have "vocal chords," either.

They have "vocal cords."

And they never have "free reign." They have "free rein."

Thanks. I feel so much better now.

[gpandas]

79. FREE RAIN?

[Swamp Rat]

37. Not "Tau the Lion?"

:D

[Scout]

48. aaaaauuuuggggghhhhh, owwwwww, my eyes, my eyes!

ohmigod that picture!
the original was bad enough, but now I'm really gonna have nightmares.

[Swamp Rat]

60. LOL! Sorry! ... WARNING!

:D

[SPKrazy]

38. but tow the line makes more sense

what the f*ck does "toe the line" mean?

[mike_c]

39. it means to stand up to the mark, get with the program, etc....

Tow the line means "drag a rope."

[ET Awful]

67. It's a military term, you are in formation, you do not break ranks, your

toes are aligned along an imaginary line. You "toe" the line by not breaking ranks and remaining in your place.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

40. "He is the man THAT will be taking names."

It's "He is the man WHO will be taking names."

[DS1]

41. Yes, I know. Thanks

:hi:

[Left Is Write]

42. Amen.

:thumbsup:

[MercutioATC]

49. And learn how to use friggin' apostrophes!

They show possession or represent a removed letter. They are NOT a form of pluralization!

[jobycom]

50. Then how do you explain Tommy James's "Draggin' the line?"

I mean, if you're going to drag it, you can sure tow it!

Making a living the old, hard way.
Taking and giving my day by day.
I dig the snow and the rai nand the bright sunshine.
I'm draggin' the line (draggin' the line).
My dog Sam eats purple flowers.
We ain't got much, but what we've got's ours.
We dig snow and the rain and the bright sunshine.
Draggin' the line (draggin the line).
I feel fine.
I'm talking about peace of mind.
I'm gonna take my time.
I'm getting to good times.
Draggin' the line (draggin the line).
Loving a free and feeling spirit.
Hugging a tree when you get near it.
Digging the snow and the rain and the bright sunshine.
I'm draggin' the line (draggin the line).
Draggin' the line (draggin' the line).
I feel fine.
I'm talking about peace of mind.
I'm gonna take my time.
I'm getting to good times.
Draggin' the line (draggin the line).

[Steve A Play]

51. From "Nautical Terms and Phrases... Their Meaning and Origin"

http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03.htm

Bottom of the page. :)

Toe the line
The space between each pair of deck planks in a wooden ship was filled with a packing material called "oakum" and then sealed with a mixture of pitch and tar. The result, from afar, was a series of parallel lines a half-foot or so apart, running the length of the deck. Once a week, as a rule, usually on Sunday, a warship's crew was ordered to fall in at quarters -- that is, each group of men into which the crew was divided would line up in formation in a given area of the deck. To insure a neat alignment of each row, the Sailors were directed to stand with their toes just touching a particular seam. Another use for these seams was punitive. The youngsters in a ship, be they ship's boys or student officers, might be required to stand with their toes just touching a designated seam for a length of time as punishment for some minor infraction of discipline, such as talking or fidgeting at the wrong time. A tough captain might require the miscreant to stand there, not talking to anyone, in fair weather or foul, for hours at a time. Hopefully, he would learn it was easier and more pleasant to conduct himself in the required manner rather than suffer the punishment. From these two uses of deck seams comes our cautionary word to obstreperous youngsters to "toe the line."

Steven P. :kick:

[TheBaldyMan]

64. I heard it was an old prizefighting term, boxers had to stand with

one foot in a one yard square that had been chalked or painted on the floor taking alternaate swipes at each other. If a fighter was knocked down people that had bet on him to win would tell him to get back up and 'toe the line' and carry on fighting.

Usually these fight went on for hours.

[texanwitch]

53. Here's a good one. Is it duck tape or duct tape.

I have to think very hard to say duct tape. I have a friend who goes crazy when anyone says
duck tape, so I say it often around her.

[incapsulated]

54. It's *no one* not *noone* !!!11

No. One. "Noone" is not a fucking word!!! Go ahead, look it up in a dictionary. Guess what, it doesn't exist!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:


(I have my issues, too, ya know.)

[JuniperLea]

68. I always think of Herman's Hermits when I see that...

You know, Peter Noone...

Noone gets me too. To Too Two is another...

I'm not normally the grammar police, heaven knows I've made an error or 600 of my own, and I would never point out such things to a person directly because that is just plain condescending and rude, but it's nice to be able to vent here:) It's = it is... Its = possessive. That one is tricky because you can do the 's thing at the end of a name and it's possessive. It is possessive:)

[DanCa]

55. I personally like One Toke Over The Line

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY MICHAEL BREWER and THOMAS E. SHIPLEY .

One toke o-ver the line, sweet Je-sus,
one toke o-ver the line
Sit-tin' down-town in a rail-way sta-tion,
one toke over the line--
Wait-in' for the train that goes home,
sweet Ma-ry,
hop-in' that the train is on time-
Sit-tin' down-town in a rail-way sta-tion,
one toke o-ver the line


Who- do you love-, I hope it's me
I've been chang-in', as you can plain-ly see
I felt the joy and I learned a-bout the pain--,
that my mom-ma said
If I should choose to make a part of me--
would surely strike me dead
And now I'm...

One toke over the line, sweet Jesus,
one toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station,
one toke over the line
Waitin' for the train that goes home,
sweet Mary, hopin' that the
train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station,
one toke over the line

[pokerfan]

56. "do to" instead of "due to" & "want" instead of "wont"

Drives me nuts.

Screwing up "whoever" and "whomever." Didn't anyone learn the four step rule for this one?

[mykpart]

61. I am wont to want to hear someone say

that something they do is due to stupidity!

[pokerfan]

63. lol

Exactly

[TheBaldyMan]

58. it's towline dammit n/t

[mykpart]

62. Affect and effect. Moot and mute.

[JuniperLea]

70. Affect and effect are tricky!

Affect

1 obsolete : FEELING, AFFECTION
2 : the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes
usage see EFFECT


Effect

1 a : PURPORT, INTENT b : basic meaning : ESSENCE
2 : something that inevitably follows an antecedent (as a cause or agent)
3 : an outward sign : APPEARANCE
4 : ACCOMPLISHMENT, FULFILLMENT
5 : power to bring about a result : INFLUENCE <the content itself of television ... is therefore less important than its effect -- Current Biography>
6 plural : movable property : GOODS <personal effects>
7 a : a distinctive impression <the color gives the effect of being warm> b : the creation of a desired impression <her tears were purely for effect> c (1) : something designed to produce a distinctive or desired impression -- usually used in plural (2) plural : SPECIAL EFFECTS
8 : the quality or state of being operative : OPERATION <the law goes into effect next week>
- in effect : in substance : VIRTUALLY <the ... committee agreed to what was in effect a reduction in the hourly wage -- Current Biography>
- to the effect : with the meaning <issued a statement to the effect that he would resign>


So, affect could be to have an effect on. Weird.

[DanCa]

65. Dam and Damn.

Hey at least when I misspell it's because my hands are screwed up. :D

[Beetwasher]

69. And All This Time I've Been Calling Him Jebus

:shrug:

[1gobluedem]

71. "She/he's a real trooper"

It's trouper. As in member of a troupe -- team player.

[NoPasaran]

72. Unless you're referring to someone in the cavalry

Not to be confused with Calvary.

[cmkramer]

76. God, I hate that one too. n/t

[calico1]

74. I was thinking about all of this

today when I was in the personal dept. talking about a personnel concern of mine.

Can somebody please hand me a piece of stationary so that I can write all this down as I ride my stationery bike? :P

[Tracer]

75. Right here on DU, I see ...

... "loose" instead of "lose". At first I thought it was just a typo, but after seeing it a zillion times, decided it was just lousy spelling.

And my pet peeve? People who continuously use the word "feel" for the word "think". As in:

"I feel that George W. Bush is the worst president in the history of the U.S."

[anarch]

78. "old stamping ground"

"champing at the bit"


really, look it up.

[oneighty]

80. The Word Butcher

The English language is astoundingly
Difficult for a poet like me.
And it is not fair
It seems to me
That I must cope
With this atrocity.

This poem labours on-n-on like four-ever but I do not wish to boar youse wit it no-mor to day.

081