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Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006Another thing coming...again
When Bo Schembechler, long time coach of the University of Michigan football team, died this past Friday, an AP story was presented (in some Saturday newspapers) about him. The full article is at http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/111806/spo_bo001.shtml The sentence in question is about half-way down the article. begin quote=== "If you think my career has been a failure because I have never won a national title, you have another _thing_ coming," Schembechler said a few weeks before coaching his final game. ===end quote (underlining mine. mc.) The article was written by AP Sports Writer Larry Lage. The particular quote I've mentioned appeared in the article and as a pull-quote. My questions (which no one here will be able to answer with any assurance) are this: Did Bo really say "thing"? Or, did Larry Lage make an assumption? Or, did an editor make an assumption? If Bo really did say "thing," then we must remember his role in life was not as an English professor, I guess. But if he said "think" instead, then whoever is responsible for the change has some explaining to do. Sheesh. (Note: I sent an email to the newspaper; in it, I misspelled Schembechler's last name. Skitt's law at work.)  SignatureMaria There's only one 'n' in my email address, and it's not in my first name. > When Bo Schembechler, long time coach of the University of Michigan > football team, died this past Friday, an AP story was presented (in some > Saturday newspapers) about him. > The full article is at > http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/111806/spo_bo001.shtml > The sentence in question is about half-way down the article. > begin quote=== > "If you think my career has been a failure because I have never won a > national title, you have another _thing_ coming," Schembechler said a > few weeks before coaching his final game. ===end quote (underlining > mine. mc.) > The article was written by AP Sports Writer Larry Lage. The particular > quote I've mentioned appeared in the article and as a pull-quote. > My questions (which no one here will be able to answer with any > assurance) are this: > Did Bo really say "thing"? > Or, did Larry Lage make an assumption? > Or, did an editor make an assumption? Or did a printer commit a typo? But does it really matter what happened in this case? We know that the thingers and the thinkers of the world may be about equal in number, and there's little chance that one or the other will win out in our lifetimes. All we can do is take smug pride in knowing that we know the right way, then sit back and sneer at the pathetic ignorance of the multitude who don't know. > If Bo really did say "thing," then we must remember his role in life was > not as an English professor, I guess. But if he said "think" instead, > then whoever is responsible for the change has some explaining to do. > Sheesh. I agree with "Sheesh", and I might add "Ugh". > (Note: I sent an email to the newspaper; in it, I misspelled > Schembechler's last name. Skitt's law at work.) If he said "thing coming", he deserved to have his name misspelled. >> When Bo Schembechler, long time coach of the University of Michigan >> football team, died this past Friday, an AP story was presented (in some [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] >If he said "thing coming", he deserved to have his name >misspelled. And be forced to read Ray Bradbury's story "Somethink wicked this way comes". SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk > When Bo Schembechler, long time coach of the University of Michigan > football team, died this past Friday, an AP story was presented (in some [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > Maria > There's only one 'n' in my email address, and it's not in my first name. My assumption is that he really did say "thing" becasue it is a common figure of speech, at least here in Michigan, to say "you have another thing coming" when you think the person is mistaken and will be suprised in the future. I don't know if this was started by Bo, but I suspect he was just using the phrase as it had been used before. -Peter- > Maria wrote re Bo Schembechler saying: >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >> instead, then whoever is responsible for the change has some >> explaining to do. [...] > My assumption is that he really did say "thing" becasue it is a common > figure of speech, at least here in Michigan, And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I think the difference is more an age thing than a location thing. I could be wrong, though. (Does anyone recall what conclusion we came to, if any?) > .......to say "you have another > thing coming" when you think the person is mistaken and will be > suprised in the future. I don't know if this was started by Bo, but I > suspect he was just using the phrase as it had been used before. It is one of my missions in life to ensure that everyone knows just how /wrong/ it is to say "thing" rather than "think." Failure in this mission is all but guaranteed. SignatureMaria Resident of southeast Michigan, near Detroit; native of east Tennessee. There's only one 'n' in my email address, and it's not in my first name. ... } And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I } think the difference is more an age thing than a location thing. I could } be wrong, though. (Does anyone recall what conclusion we came to, if } any?) The conclusion I came to is that it's the same people who say "thing" that say "same old, same old" as if it had meaning. ... } It is one of my missions in life to ensure that everyone knows just how } /wrong/ it is to say "thing" rather than "think." Failure in this } mission is all but guaranteed. Now, now. It's one of the [many] things that you and Sparky are right about (for which I forgive him and congratulate you). Signaturerjv > ... > } And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > The conclusion I came to is that it's the same people who say "thing" that > say "same old, same old" as if it had meaning. Google: "another thing coming" "same old same old" 99 "another thing coming" "same o same o" 5 "another think coming" "same old same old" 80 "another think coming" "same o same o" 2 "another thing coming" 155000 "another think coming" 59000 "same old same old" 999000 "same o same o" 30300 I'll let Erk step in and interpret this data. SignatureSalvatore Volatile } R J Valentine wrote: }> On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:25:17 GMT Maria <marian.c-b@sbcglobal.net> wrote: }> ... }> } And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I }> } think the difference is more an age thing than a location thing. I could }> } be wrong, though. (Does anyone recall what conclusion we came to, if }> } any?) }> }> The conclusion I came to is that it's the same people who say "thing" that }> say "same old, same old" as if it had meaning. } } Google: } } "another thing coming" "same old same old" 99 } "another thing coming" "same o same o" 5 } "another think coming" "same old same old" 80 } "another think coming" "same o same o" 2 } } "another thing coming" 155000 } "another think coming" 59000 } "same old same old" 999000 } "same o same o" 30300 } } I'll let Erk step in and interpret this data. How about "same-same"? The "o" is just the katakana of it. Signaturerjv > ... > } And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > The conclusion I came to is that it's the same people who say "thing" that > say "same old, same old" as if it had meaning. If I had to punctuate it, it wouldn't have a comma and it might even be "same ol' same-ol'", though the hyphen may be pedantry. The repetition replacing "same old thing" underscores the repetitiveness being denoted. Nobody (or hardly anybody) says "brand-new brand-new". SignatureJerry Friedman >> ... >> } And elsewhere in the country, too. We've discussed this before, and I [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > replacing "same old thing" underscores the repetitiveness being > denoted. Nobody (or hardly anybody) says "brand-new brand-new". I parse it as (the same old (same old)); i.e., it's not merely the same old (sc. thing), it's the very identically same old version thereof. I think, or example, of: a lame, standard excuse ("the dog ate my homework") that the bearer hasn't even bothered to embelish into a novel example of the same topos (e.g., "my monkey ate my lute strings"); or a recipe ("meatloaf again!") without even an attempt at the provision of a different sauce to disguise the fact that it's the same thing we ate yesterday, and the day before, and last week. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. > My assumption is that he really did say "thing" becasue it is a common > figure of speech, at least here in Michigan, to say "you have another > thing coming" when you think the person is mistaken and will be > suprised in the future. I don't know if this was started by Bo, but I > suspect he was just using the phrase as it had been used before. Yes, but it seems that the "thinK" version is alive and well too: --------------- have another guess coming Also, have another think coming. Be mistaken and therefore have to reconsider or rethink one's answer. For example, If you think you can fool me, you have another guess coming, or John thinks he convinced me; well, he has another think coming. A related idiom is guess again, often used in the imperative, as in You think that car cost $20,000? Guess again! [Colloquial; first half of 1900s] http://www.answers.com/topic/have-another-guess-coming --------------- which surprised me ... Marius Hancu > > My assumption is that he really did say "thing" becasue it is a common > > figure of speech, at least here in Michigan, to say "you have another [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > --------------- > which surprised me ... It surprises me, too. I don't recall ever encountering "another guess coming" except in a context where one was specifically offered guesses in a sequence, like a quiz show. In my experience, "another think/g coming" occurs perhaps a thousand times more often than "another guess coming." Other posters may report different experiences, but mine suggest that answers.com is mistaken in listing the idiom under "another guess coming" and giving "another think coming" as a variant. SignatureBob Lieblich Who has another post coming (watch for it) |
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