Phrases That Don't Mean What You Think They Do

Saw this on AOL today and thought it was kinda fun...

http://www.asylum.com/2009/10/06/phrases-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-mean/?icid=main

I saw this in the comments and it does sound better when phrased the second way (and more clearly displays the actual meaning of the phrase):

You can't have your cake and eat it too.
It really is
You can't eat your cake and have it too.

Oh FFS!  Number two is one of my pet peeves.  I thought I'd hear it less here since I rarely listen to NPR, but Radio Four uses it as much if not more.  Number four is pretty bad as well.

I didn't know that about "lion's share", "nauseous" or "table".

The actual list of commonly misused words or phrases is probably a mile long, including ones that I use.

I think the article is being a leetle..I dunno..pedantic? (Or maybe I am being pedantic.) If they are really talking about expressions that don't mean what people think they mean, wouldn't "Lion's share" not qualify? Cause, as far as I can tell, it means exactly what you think it means: largest share. Yes, initially it meant "the entire thing," but it seems like the current usage has been the prevalent and accepted for years.

You'd think if the misuse of expressions ran so rampant, they'd be able to come up with ten unambiguous examples and not reaches like "kion's share," and, to a lesser degree, "I am nauseous."

1-5 though are on the money. I especially like it when I hear #4: it always makes me laugh.

I say 'I could care less' allll the time and each and every time I say it I think in my head that's not right but still it comes out of my mouth wrong again and again!   

I've never even heard of the lion's share one before...but I do say "I could care less" sometimes...lol.

#7 shows a distinct lack of Lacanian psychoanalysis ^_^ In Lacan's verbiage, masculine sexuation is about (in very short words) the "exception that proves the rule" in its most literal sense (i.e. a rule is made possible by a singular exception). This is in contrast to the feminine non-all (or the incomplete whole). And, yes, I am being very pedantic here.
In all seriousness, I didn't know #6 and #8...I just did a 360 (in my swivel chair) for fun.

I have always said "I couldn't care less" when I used the phrase at all, and I say 180 rather than 360.  A lot of this is just common sense, but people repeat what they hear others say, and get in the habit of certain phrases, and just don't stop to think through the meanings.  I had a friend in college who developed the habit of saying "That irks my chain" which drove me mad.  I kept telling her "It irks you, or it jerks your chain, but not both!" She never listened. 

Of course, I am pedantic and readily admit it.   

Maybe it did irk her chain. Did you ask the chain directly?

The lion's share. Maybe it should be the male lion's share, since they eat the day's kill first, and then the females and cubs eat what is left.

The original phrase is "the exception that probesthe rule" - not "proves the rule".

That is, the exception that tests the rule.