Category: Oh, the things we say

Subset of Mind Grapes, cousin to Unorthodox Paradoxes. Malapropisms, misnomers, and other linguistic missteps.

5 Reasons Einstein’s Definition of Insanity is the Definition of Insane.

• Reason #1: Einstein didn’t say it. Though the quote is often attributed to him (and sometimes Mark Twain or Benjamin Franklin), there is no recorded evidence of Einstein himself ever having made this remark. In fact, the earliest documented instance of it being used is allegedly in a 1981 Narcotics Anonymous pamphlet. It also…

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Man sits behind screen, not in front of it.

Many English speakers make the claim, “I sit in front of a screen all day.” This would imply the screen sits behind “me.” Yet, no doubt the screen sits squarely in front of me, even as you read these words from behind yours. Were I the screen, I would instead see a human face in…

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