Writing Tip 191: “Another Think Coming” vs. “Another Thing Coming”

There was a time climbing seemed like a good idea, but if this guy thinks he’s getting down easily, he’s got another think coming.

President Obama has gotten it wrong. Judas Priest has gotten it wrong. Your friends have gotten it wrong on social media (or at least mine have). Do you know the correct version of this idiom?

While “you’ve got another thing coming” might sound better to your ear, the expression is actually “you’ve got another think coming.” As in, “if that’s what you think, you’ve got another think coming.”

Does the correct version make a noun-fussy grammarian shudder? Perhaps. But this correct form dates back at least to the early 1910s and possibly before.

To be fair, the Oxford English Dictionary has been correcting people about this eggcorn since 1919—though it wasn’t until the 1980s that mass confusion seemed to have set in. I’m looking at you, Judas Priest.

Meanwhile, how fun is it to connect Barack Obama to Judas Priest? No seven degrees of separation needed thanks to “another think coming” vs. “another thing coming.” You’re welcome.

The post Writing Tip 191: “Another Think Coming” vs. “Another Thing Coming” appeared first on Kris Spisak.