Language is constantly evolving, and this can make it hard to define what is correct and incorrect. Sometimes misunderstood words and phrases become so dominant that they become, well, not misunderstandings anymore. A divisive example of this is the word “literally,” which is often used to exaggerate something that is not really literal—as it’s an impossibility. Although some people rage against this, the figurative use of “literally” is in the dictionary. It has even been used by great writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Dickens. Literally.
Some of the sayings and idioms on this list are only minor deviations, while a few are technically wrong but, over time, have been accepted as correct. Others are changes so flagrant that they mangle the entire sense of the phrase. The next time someone misuses one of these sayings, you’ll be able to figuratively—or literally (it’s your choice)—blow their mind with the original meaning.
