MLP: Don’t misstate these sayings

As every word nerd well knows, among the many benefits of reading books is increasing knowledge of good grammar and proper spelling, enjoying it while carried along a sea of words.

At least, it once was so. Your Mrs. Language Person has been dismayed to see a consistent decline in the quality of books, both in editing and increasing acceptance of misstatement and error — all in the rush to publish. Or is it simply laziness?

You don’t care, Reader? Say it isn’t true! Your MLP cannot abide even one more who “could care less” (shudder!). Please, Dear Readers, take pity on these commonly misstated sayings and do your part to lift them out of their miseries:

First-come, first-served (not “serve”). Skip the “d” and the suggestion is he who comes first will do the serving, rather than be the one first served.

I couldn’t care less. Think about it. If you “could care less” that means you do care more. That’s the opposite of the intended idea — you don’t care (just like all those grammar-butchers).

Shoo-in (not “shoe”). A sure winner is shooed (waved, pushed) in. Nothing to do with footwear.

Sleight of hand (not “slight”). A slight is an insult, whereas sleight indicates the cunning or dexterity magicians display.

Hone in (not “home”). To hone is to sharpen, so honing in narrows one’s focus.

Bated breath (not “baited”). A bated breath is a shortened one, a pause or wait. Worms and fishhooks don’t apply.

Peace of mind. That’s for tranquility or relief. If you mean sharing what you’re thinking, then it is a piece of your mind.

Whet your appetite (not “wet”). To whet means to sharpen or stimulate. No dousing involved.

Due diligence (not “do”). The diligence is due — necessary to accomplish a goal, prevent harm or understand fully.

Piqued my interest (not “peak”). To pique is to stimulate. Height irrelevant.

Must have (should, would, or could have; not “would of”). Your MLP assumes the “of” snuck in simply as a mispronounced sound-alike. The big hint here should have been the contractions: Could've is short for could have. Note the missing "f."

Worse comes to worst. If “worse came to worse” that’s not saying anything, is it?

Through the wringer (not “ringer”). Adding the “w” conveys the image: an old-fashioned machine that could wring water out of clothes with a rotating pressure. Going through the wringer makes one hard-pressed; it’s a tough time.

Tide her over (not “tie”). No bondage here. To tide is to sustain through a difficult time, like an ocean tide carries a boat absent wind.

Toe the line (not “tow”). Runners put their toes on the starting line. Neither pulling nor towing involved.

A moot point (not “mute”). To be mute is to say nothing, which is no point at all. A moot point has become irrelevant.

Which, it seems, applies to this column if your Mrs. Language Person is the only one who still cares about grammar.

Next week: Cringe-worthy redundancies. They’re not where it’s at.

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Mrs. Language Person and Sholeh Patrick are columnists for the Hagadone News Network. Email Sholeh@cdapress.com.