Idioms

Tenterhooks or tenderhooks? Get the right spelling, the cloth-drying frame it comes from, the earliest recorded uses, and a trick to remember it.

Eggcorn examples explained: ten everyday phrase mix-ups, why each one sounds logical, and how an eggcorn differs from a malapropism and a mondegreen.

A whole nother is informal but has a long history. Learn where “nother” comes from, why it sounds natural, and when to write “a whole other” instead.

Begs the question meaning, both of them: the circular-reasoning sense from logic and the everyday ‘raises the question’ use. Learn when each is safe.

Moot point meaning splits by region: debatable in Britain, irrelevant in the US. See where each sense began and how to avoid being misread.

Scot free meaning and origin: scot was a medieval tax, not Scotland or Dred Scott. See the sources, the 1567 citation and how to use the phrase today.

Champing at the bit or chomping? Champing is the original, chomping is now more common. See the dates, what usage guides say, and which to use when.

Toe the line or tow the line? It is toe. See what the phrase means, where it is safe to use, and what the references prove about its origin.