Are you saying these wrong!? | EGGCORNS TEST

- Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to  "English with Lucy." Have you ever heard a phrase  

or expression in English and then attempted to use  it in conversation and thought, "Hmm, that doesn't  

sound quite right." Well, firstly, I can relate.  And secondly, you might be interested to know that  

native English speakers frequently mispronounce  certain expressions without even realising they're  

making a mistake. Even the listener might not pick  up on the mispronunciation as it's so similar to  

the correct phrase. This is one of the reasons why  they're so prevalent and often go on corrected.  

And this happens so often, in fact, that we  actually have a term for these words and phrases:  

eggcorns, eggcorns. And yes, you did hear that  one correctly. An eggcorn is a word or phrase  

that sounds like another real word or phrase,  and is often mistakenly used in a logical way  

in its place. Should you say duck tape- or duct  tape? Scot-free or scotch-free? For all intense  

and purposes or for all intensive purposes? We  need to talk about this. So today we're going to  

test your knowledge to see if you know the proper  phrases for some of the most common eggcorns. It  

wouldn't be an "English with Lucy" lesson if there  wasn't a free PDF. I have created a free PDF and  

quiz for this lesson. It contains all of the  eggcorns we're going to discuss today plus some  

extras and a quiz. If you'd like to download that,  and automatically get all of my future free PDFs,  

just click on the link in my description box.  You enter your name and your email address,  

and after that you've joined the PDF club, and  you will automatically receive all of my free PDFs  

along with my news, course updates and offers.  It's a free service and you can unsubscribe at  

any time. Now I have a little PSA. This channel  is designed for people who are learning English,  

but every now and again, a native speaker walks  through the door and they end up having a lovely  

time in my classroom. If you are a native speaker,  yes, you right there in your tiny little screen,  

keep watching 'cause this lesson might be quite  fun for you. You might end up being surprised  

that you have been misusing common phrases  for your entire life. If that is the case,  

please be honest and comment in the comment  section because it will be a huge ego boost  

for all of the amazing learners of English  we have here to know that it's not just them  

making mistakes, native speakers make so many  mistakes too. Promise me you'll do that. Okay,  

first eggcorn, this will test you.  "Reginald refused about his future plans,  

which ultimately cost him the election."  Is it to be pacific or to be specific?  

Did you say to be pacific? Because if you  did, you'd be wrong. The correct phrase is  

to be specific, meaning to provide details or  information that goes beyond a general or vague  

overview. I know, they sound so similar. Number  two, let's see how you do. "The author needed to  

the characters in her novel  to make them more relatable  

and engaging." Is it flesh out or flush out?  

These two have such subtle spelling  and pronunciation differences,  

but big differences in meaning. The correct  answer is flesh out. If you flesh something out,  

nice phrasal verb there, you are adding more  detail or substance to something such as a  

plan or idea. Flush out is another perfectly  fine phrasal verb, but it has a few different  

meanings like to force something out of a  hiding place or to cause something to become  

red or flushed. Neither of those meanings  make sense in this context, so you better  

stick with flesh out. Number three, "The highly  anticipated fireworks display turned out to be a  

when it was cancelled due to heavy  rain." We have damp squid or damp squib.  

Honestly, before I became an English teacher, I  was none the wiser about this one. It should be  

B, and this is a tough one. I've heard so  many native speakers make this mistake,  

that at this point, I think it should be just  changed to damp squid, but the correct phrase  

is damp squib, referring to an event or  situation that is disappointing because  

it fails to meet expectations. Okay, onto  number four. "Many health problems can be  

if they are detected early." We have  nipped in the bud and nipped in the butt.  

Did you guess A? I hope you did because that  was the correct answer. Nipped in the bud is  

an expression used to talk about a situation  or action that was stopped at an early stage  

before it had a chance to develop or become a  problem. It's a useful one that you can now use  

with confidence. Bud not butt. Ready for the next  one? Number five. "In this world of business, only  

the most ruthless and cunning businesses rise to  the top." Is it A, dog-eat-dog, or B, doggie dog?  

It is adorable if you chose B, doggie dog,  but the correct phrase is dog-eat-dog. Sadly,  

this slightly unsettling phrase refers to a very  competitive environment where people are willing  

to harm others for personal gain. Not quite  as cute, but definitely more accurate. How  

are you doing so far? I definitely want you to  share your scores in the comment section when  

you finish. Okay, number six. "Despite causing  significant damage to the property, Mary's son,  

because she's the head of HR." Should it be  got off scotch-free, or got off scot-free?  

The correct phrase is scot-free, B. We use this  phrase to talk about someone who has escaped  

punishment or consequences. Now, scotch is a  verb meaning to stop something from happening,  

so this might be where some of the confusion  lies, but nevertheless, the correct term is  

scot-free. It comes from the old Icelandic  and Norse word for tax which was skot with a  

K. It literally means tax free. Time for number  seven, which I must say is quite a tricky one.  

"The new software update rendered  the older version obsolete." Is it  

to all intensive and purposes,  or to all intensive purposes?  

I swear the English-speaking world is totally  divided about this one. Did you figure it  

out? You should have said to all intense and  purposes, which means practically speaking. When  

we say it quickly, it sounds so much like to all  intensive purposes. To all intents and purposes,  

to all intensive purposes. Sounds practically  the same. Okay, number eight, this one's fun.  

"My cousin's controversial performance  art piece involved him standing on stage  

while reciting Shakespearean sonnets." Was he  butt naked or buck naked? What do you think?  

If you said butt naked, I feel for  you because the correct phrase is  

buck naked, meaning completely naked. Now I  am not going to say that butt naked is wrong  

because it just makes sense. If you are naked,  you are showing your butt. But originally it was  

buck naked, but now a vast majority of the  population has adopted the term butt naked,  

so I'm gonna let you have either one here. Number  nine, "The new hire in accounting is barely,  

he's still got so much to learn." Is  it passing mustard or passing muster?  

It is passing muster. I truly wish passing muster  were correct 'cause it would be hilarious. But no,  

the correct phrase is to pass muster, meaning  to be deemed acceptable or satisfactory. It's  

a really nice idiom despite not involving  any condiments. If you are looking for more  

information on condiments, I may or may not  ketchup with you later. Okay, number 10. "I've  

been these past few years waiting for the perfect  opportunity to ask for a promotion." Should it be  

biting my time or biding my time?  

I must say with the flap T in American English,  it could be either. Biting my time, biding my  

time. With British English pronunciation,  the difference is stark. The correct answer  

should be B, biding my time, which is  a great expression used to refer to  

waiting patiently for the right moment to  take action. Number 11. "The city skyline  

transformed into a breathtaking display of lights  and shadows." Is it as dusk fell or as dust fell?  

It should be as dusk fell. Maybe this  one wasn't too much of a challenge but  

the correct answer is dusk, which is the time  before sunset. And for those of you who knew,  

I'm sure it was quite an easy one. Let's move on  to number 12. "The teams to score a goal in the  

final seconds of the game fell short." Is it  a last ditch effort or a last stitch effort?  

Did you guess A, last ditch effort? If you did,  amazing. You nailed it. A last ditch effort is a  

final attempt to achieve something, usually when  previous efforts have failed. And I think people  

think it's last stitch because when we say it  with connected speech or joined together, last  

ditch does sound an awful lot like last stitch.  Last ditch, last stitch. Yeah, so similar. Okay,  

let's have a look at number 13. "All of the  souvenirs at these shops are, finding a unique  

high quality keepsake is such a challenge."  Is it a diamond dozen or a dime a dozen?  

The correct answer is B, a dime a dozen. It's  a popular more American idiom because we don't  

actually have dimes here in the UK. It's used to  describe something that is very common or very  

easy to find. Okay, we have two more. Number  14, "Jenna losing her job turned out to be,  

as it led her to discover her  passion for dog grooming." Good  

for Jenna. Should it be a blessing in  disguise or a blessing in the skies?  

I may have given it away then. It should be a  blessing in disguise. I use this one all the time  

to put a positive spin on a negative situation.  And the final and possibly my favourite eggcorn  

of today's lesson is number 15. The CEO used his  assistant as, to avoid taking responsibility for  

the company's financial crisis." Is it  A, an escaped goat? Or B, a scapegoat?  

Oh, I wish you A, but it's B, a scapegoat. And  a scapegoat is a person or thing blamed for  

mistakes or faults of others. Although an escaped  goat is a much cuter and happier image. Well,  

those are all the eggcorns I have for you today.  Please share your scores in the comments. And if  

we do have any native speakers watching today,  can you be honest with us and tell us how many  

you got wrong? It will be a real confidence boost  for my students. One last question for you. Can  

you think of any other eggcorns? Please do  share them in the comment section. Also,  

don't forget to download that free PDF and quiz  to test your understanding. Don't forget to check  

out all of my English courses. We have my B1,  B2 and C1 12-week programmes. They are amazing.  

I am biassed, but I'm not sorry. If you'd like to  sign up to those, just visit englishwithlucy.com,  

or visit the links in the description box.  I will see you soon for another lesson. Bye.