The game of Gossip

Remember the old childhood game called Gossip (or Telephone)? A whispered phrase was passed from one party guest to another. The object was to see how that phrase had changed by the time it got to the last person. “Going to the dance” turned into “Glowing doo-doo France” and hilarity ensued.

This game teaches us that it’s risky to repeat expressions you only think you’ve heard correctly—especially if you don’t quite know what they mean. Here are three commonly mangled expressions I’ve heard recently:

Chalk-full

It’s chock-full. Its origin, from middle English, is obscure. But it means full to the limit, at capacity. It has nothing to do with those sticks of calcium sulfate they used in schools before whiteboards were invented.

Half-mask

As in, “His pants were at half-mask.” The expression half-mast, refers to lowering a flag to honor a person or event. That’s the meaning that applies to baggy trousers. A half-mask is what the guy in “Phantom of the Opera” wears on his face.

Ying and yang

The complementary forces in Chinese philosophy are yin (no g) and yang. Ying and Yang sound like cute names for twin pandas, though.

You’ve probably heard someone use at least one of these phrases incorrectly. Yeah, well If that person jumped off a bridge, would you jump off too? Don’t be the person who passes it on, perpetuating the mistake. Before you repeat some idiom you’ve only heard, look it up in print or verify its meaning. And, no, print on Twitter, Facebook, or Internet discussion groups does not count. That’s where English goes to die.

The game of Gossip is fun for children’s birthday parties. But when you’re all grown up and people laugh because you’ve said chalk-full, half-mask, or ying and yang, they’re not having fun, they’re making fun.

And if they’re making fun because you wear your pants at half-mast, you’re on your own.

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