Being pacific is a misused phrase frequently heard uttered in Bristol. It is also the most common misused phrase used across the rest of the country and is known as an eggcorn – a misheard phrase or word that sounds similar to its original. We do similar with misheard lyrics in songs, these are known as mondegreens.<\/p>\n
But we’re not just being pacific about it, we also like using an escape goat to blame people and curse those damp squid disappointments.<\/p>\n
A poll of 2000 people from hearing loss people\u00a0Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care, found 35 per cent of UK adults were using eggcorns rather than the original phrase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe eggcorns survey is a fun way to highlight the need to look after our hearing as many phrases are down to people mishearing them in the first place,”\u00a0Adrian Ellis from Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a record 11 million people in the UK now suffering from some degree of hearing loss, if ignored it can not only lead to potentially embarrassing situations socially but also be incredibly isolating.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Top 30 Eggcorns most commonly used were:<\/p>\n
To be pacific (instead of to be specific)
\nAn escape goat (instead of a scapegoat)
\nDamp squid (instead of damp squib)
\nNipped it in the butt (instead of nipped in the bud)
\nOn tender hooks (instead of on tenterhooks)
\nCold slaw (instead of coleslaw)
\nA doggie-dog world (instead of dog-eat-dog world)
\nCircus-sized (instead of circumcised)
\nLack toast and tolerant (instead of lactose intolerant)
\nGot off scotch free (instead of got off scot-free)
\nTo all intensive purposes (instead of to all intents and purposes)
\nBoo to a ghost (instead of boo to a goose)
\nCard shark (instead of card sharp)
\nButt naked (instead of buck naked)
\nHunger pains (instead of hunger pangs)
\nTongue and cheek (instead of tongue-in-cheek)
\nIt’s a mute point (instead of moot point)
\nPass mustard (instead of pass muster)
\nJust deserves (instead of just deserts)
\nFoe par (instead of faux pas)
\nSocial leopard (instead of social leper)
\nBiting my time (instead of biding my time)
\nCurled up in the feeble position (instead of curled up in the foetal position)
\nCurve your enthusiasm (instead of curb your enthusiasm)
\nHeimlich remover (instead of Heimlich manoeuvre)
\nEx-patriot (instead of expatriate)
\nExtract revenge (instead of exact revenge)
\nSelf -depreciating (instead of self-deprecating)
\nAs dust fell (instead of as dusk fell)
\nLast stitch effort (instead of last ditch effort)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being pacific is a misused phrase frequently heard uttered in Bristol. It is also the most common misused phrase used<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":28606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bristol-news"],"yoast_head":"\n