As our language continues to "evolve"...

[avevale_intelligencer]

I notice that the phrase "to home in," common when I was a youngster, is now being misreplaced with increasing frequency by the meaningless phrase "to hone in," presumably from some idea about locating a place or a person being akin to sharpening. I expect that, as with most of these changes, nobody has any idea that it hasn't always been like that, and certainly nobody cares.

I look forward with a certain glum fascination to the first reference to "honing pigeons."

Comments

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Would that be the process of sharpening a pigeon, or pigeons that sharpen other things?

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Honing pigeons are pigeons that elbow their way into someone else's good thing.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

No, those are *horning* pigeons. If you'll, ah, pardon the expression. [BLUSH]

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Yes. Exactly.