For some weird reason my entire life I thought that "svelt" meant fat. My entire life I have been using that word to describe a fat person, but just today (I'm 28) I discovered that it really means "Skinny". Also when I was a kid I used to think "bigot" meant someone who was cocky and arrogant. I hated Magic Johnson and would always call him a bigot because of what I thought it meant.
Are there any words that you have gone through life using incorrectly only to find out later that you were doing so?
2007-01-29 09:30:35 · 11 answers · asked by alwaysmoose 7 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
I think we all had trouble with this when we were kids. At 10, I read the word "condominium" and was absolutely sure it had something to do with sex. At 4, my mother spoke to the "operator" on the telephone and I though she was talking to a doctor. (I thought that doctors had a second job at night working for the phone company.) I also didn't understand why they called it a "tow truck" because it didn't have "toes."
2007-01-29 09:42:58 · answer #1 · answered by Buffy Summers 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Until I was about 15, I used the word "exceptional" incorrectly. I thought it meant you were an exception, or an outcast.
Ex: That little boy is really exceptional; no one will play with him.
2007-01-29 09:36:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I just learned that "twerp" means something....uh....related to private parts. I've always heard it used to describe kids that are being a pain in the ****. I was pretty embarrased when I called my cat that and my husband started laughing!
2007-01-29 09:36:09 · answer #3 · answered by margarita 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hee haw; I always thought it was a sound that a horse made, but I just found out that it was a show that made fun of the south.
2007-01-29 09:38:51 · answer #4 · answered by Budman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i used to think being bold had to do with being bald. but you can see why i thought that right? I mean they sure sound alike. then for those of you who took chemistry you'll know this. exothermic and endothermic reactions. i always get those two confused! i thought photosythesis was an exothermic reaction but its really an endothermic reaction.
2007-01-29 09:44:47 · answer #5 · answered by yuuki chan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Using the word "svelt" will help you pull a lot of larger girls. :)
I mis-use words everytime I open my big fat yap (or keyboard in this case).
2007-01-29 09:39:11 · answer #6 · answered by Mighty C 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was 3-5 I thought that adult was two words so whenever someone asked me if I needed help I would reply "I'm dult, I can do it."
2007-01-29 09:52:03 · answer #7 · answered by Emily 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Detrimental.
I confused it with it's opposite meaning.
2007-01-29 12:34:57 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes a whole lot for a long time lol
2007-01-29 10:15:48 · answer #9 · answered by Britt<3 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
inflammable
2007-01-29 09:35:06 · answer #10 · answered by fjpoblam 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋