When a spurious phrase gets too prevalent, we language watchdogs start barking. Today we\u2019ll discuss two errant expressions that make us growl and howl.<\/p>\n
We start with\u00a0hone in<\/em>, an all-too-common faux idiom. Since we first alerted you to this solecism sixteen months ago, it has only gained momentum. Here are some recent online examples: \u201cPsychologists hone in on what not to wear.\u201d \u201cCities hone in on the promise of big data.\u201d \u201cResearchers hone in on autism-causing genes.\u201d<\/p>\n The correct term is\u00a0home in<\/em>. To\u00a0home in<\/em>, like\u00a0zero in<\/em>, is to focus on, get something firmly in your sights, get to the heart of the matter. The\u00a0home<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0home in<\/em>\u00a0refers not to a residence, but to a goal or target. The word is also used this way in sentences like\u00a0We\u2019re home free<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0He drove his point home<\/em>. In the game of baseball you achieve your goal by reaching\u00a0home plate<\/em>.<\/p>\n In the late twentieth century,\u00a0hone in<\/em>\u00a0gained a foothold. In this era of multitasking, it isn\u2019t hard to see why. The letters\u00a0m<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0n<\/em>\u00a0look and sound similar when one is distracted. Not only that,\u00a0hone in<\/em>\u00a0almost makes sense. To\u00a0hone<\/em>\u00a0is to sharpen a blade. By extension, it means to improve, refine, or perfect:\u00a0Constant practice helped him hone his writing skills<\/em>.<\/p>\n So, some argue, why couldn\u2019t\u00a0hone in<\/em>\u00a0mean \u201cto sharpen (narrow) one\u2019s focus\u201d? That rationale seems like a stretch.\u00a0Home in<\/em>\u00a0has been in circulation for decades;hone in<\/em>\u00a0is an inferior imitation.<\/p>\n Our second culprit is\u00a0a hard road to hoe<\/em>, which a lot of people say when they mean\u00a0a hard row to hoe\u00a0<\/em>(i.e., a difficult task). Like\u00a0hone in<\/em>, the phrase\u00a0a hard road to hoe<\/em>\u00a0almost seems acceptable, but it falls apart upon closer inspection.<\/p>\n The metaphorical row in\u00a0hard row to hoe<\/em>\u00a0is a more or less straight line of growing plants. A farmer uses his hoe to cultivate the soil and keep it weed-free so the plants may thrive. A\u00a0road<\/em>\u00a0handles a lot of foot traffic and takes a beating from bicycles and motorized vehicles. No one but a lunatic would want to hoe a road.<\/p>\n Amazingly,\u00a0hone in\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0hard road to hoe\u00a0<\/em>have their supporters. But those who defend these aberrations on the basis of \u201cclose enough\u201d are doing a disservice not only to the language but to themselves. They should aim higher.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pop Quiz<\/strong><\/p>\n The sentences below are \u201calmost\u201d acceptable. Can you fix them? Answers are below.<\/p>\n 1. Most athletes deport themselves like gentlemen. <\/p>\n Pop Quiz Answers<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Most athletes comport<\/em> themselves like gentlemen. When a spurious phrase gets too prevalent, we language watchdogs start barking. Today we\u2019ll discuss two errant expressions that make us growl and howl. We start with\u00a0hone in, an all-too-common faux idiom. Since we first alerted you to this solecism sixteen months ago, it has only gained momentum. Here are some recent online examples: \u201cPsychologists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-definitions","category-effective-writing"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1651"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1651\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2. Verus and his army brought back with them a terrible petulance, which spread through the whole empire.
\n3. His capacity for hard liquor is incredulous.
\n4. She\u2019s really tough; she acts as if she\u2019s Judge Judy and executioner.<\/p>\n
\n2. Verus and his army brought back with them a terrible pestilence<\/em>, which spread through the whole empire.
\n3. His capacity for hard liquor is incredible<\/em>.
\n4. She\u2019s really tough; she acts as if she\u2019s judge, jury<\/em>, and executioner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"