I’ve written a lot of posts on the misuse of words and expressions. For balance, I should mention some that pedants object to, but I don’t. (“Pedant” is defined as someone who objects to usages I don’t object to.)
“I could care less.” The pedant says this should be “I couldn’t care less.” Don’t you understand irony? This is always uttered in a sarcastic tone, and it means something like “I could care less — if I really tried hard.” Do you also object to saying “Big deal!” to dismiss something unimportant?
“Think different.” Apple used “Think different” as a slogan around the turn of the century. The pedants said it ought to be “Think differently.” That’s not what the slogan meant! It grew out of expressions like “Think snow,” meaning to make snow a part of your thoughts in the hope of a good skiing season. “Think different” meant to think about difference itself, to look for innovative and unusual ideas.
“Butt naked.” The older expression is “buck naked,” but “butt naked” conveys mental imagery that, in modern times, makes more sense than the original. No one seems to know where the “buck” comes from.
“Card shark.” The first time I encountered this expression was in a Felix the Cat comic, where he encountered a group of sharks playing poker. He was disappointed that he wasn’t the kitty they were feeding. The older expression is “card sharp,” but “card shark” is well established, and it makes sense for a person who plays aggressively.
“Self-depreciating.” Some insist it should be “self-deprecating,” but neither one is exactly right, and “depreciate” is usually closer. The relevant meaning of “depreciate” is “to lower in honor or esteem” or “to lower the estimated value.” “Deprecate” means to put a curse on something. If you say, “I only helped a little,” that’s closer to “depreciate.” If you say “I should be kicked in the teeth for what I did,” that’s self-deprecation.
You don’t like these expressions? I could care less. But not much less.
Any other “wrong” expressions you think are fine? Let me know in a comment.