The Whole Kitten Caboodle

Yesterday, my world was shattered when Abbie noticed I used the phrase “the whole kitten caboodle” in a blog post. At first, I thought she – a clear dog person –  was just giving me, “a clear kitty person” a hard time, as so many of you dog lovers do. (Ahem!).

But, apparently the phrase really is “the whole kit and caboodle.” It is thought to be of British descent from hundreds of years ago when soldiers used “kit bags.”

This got us to talking about the infamous “or all intensive purposes.” Yeah, yeah, I know it’s “for all intents and purposes. But I didn’t know it until I was about 28 years old! In fact, I even corrected people (with the “intensive”) when I would see them write it as “intense and purposes” for years.

So, I’ve gotta ask – am I alone in using a beloved phrase (or two) over and over and over for years, only to find out it is totally wrong?

I think – at least hope – not! So, let’s hear yours: what phrase did you say wrong for years? I’ve got some money that at least a few of you say “hunger pains” rather than “hunger pang” or perhaps “nip it in the butt” instead of “nip it in the bud.”

Comment away!