Eggcorns

Correct phrase: "for all intents and purposes", meaning in every practical sense. "Intensive purposes" sounds right and feels emphatic, which is why it sticks.

"For all intents and purposes, the deal is already done."

Correct phrase: "nip it in the bud", from pinching off a flower bud before it opens. Stopping something by a sharp nip to the backside feels just as decisive.

"Deal with the rumour early and nip it in the bud."

Correct phrase: "a moot point", an issue open to debate or no longer relevant. A point no longer worth voicing does seem as good as muted.

"Whether we go now is a moot point - the train has gone."

Correct phrase: "scapegoat", one who is blamed for others. A goat that lets the guilty escape sounds perfectly reasonable.

"They made the new intern the scapegoat for the whole mess."

Correct phrase: "dog-eat-dog world", meaning ruthlessly competitive. A harsh, lonely "doggy-dog" world almost captures the same bleakness.

"Freelancing can be a dog-eat-dog world."

Correct phrase: "curb your enthusiasm", to hold it back. Bending a curve downwards feels close enough to reining something in.

"Curb your enthusiasm until the contract is signed."

Correct phrase: "toe the line", to obey, from athletes placing a toe on the starting line. Pulling along a line also suggests dutiful effort.

"New recruits are expected to toe the line."

The phrase is correct, but many write "on tenderhooks". Tenterhooks once stretched cloth on a frame; "tender" wrongly suggests sore, delicate nerves.

"We were on tenterhooks waiting for the results."

Correct phrase: "case in point", an example that proves the matter. A case plus a point sounds like two kinds of evidence at once.

"Case in point: last week the system crashed again."

Correct phrase: "beck and call", ready to obey at once. A beckoning call that you must answer feels like the same idea.

"The staff were at the guests' beck and call."

Correct phrase: "damp squib", a firework that fails to go off (a disappointment). A soggy squid captures the same let-down.

"The grand launch turned out to be a damp squib."

Correct phrase: "pass muster", to meet the required standard (a military inspection term). Mustard being sharp, the swap feels tasty but wrong.

"The essay just about passed muster."

Correct phrase: "champing at the bit", from a horse chewing its bit in eagerness. "Chomping" is a more common word, so it takes over.

"The children were champing at the bit to open their presents."

Correct phrase: "Alzheimer's disease". Because it mainly affects older people, "old-timers'" sounds like a fitting name.

"Her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease."

Correct phrase: "hunger pangs", sharp pangs of appetite. Since hunger can genuinely hurt, "pains" feels right.

"By noon the hunger pangs were impossible to ignore."

Correct phrase: "prostate gland". The similar word "prostrate" (lying face down) is far more familiar.

"He went for a check-up on his prostate."

Correct phrase: "statute of limitations", a legal time limit. A statue is far more familiar than a statute, so it slips in.

"The statute of limitations had already expired."

Correct phrase: "bald-faced lie", an open, shameless one. A "bold" liar is certainly brazen, so the eggcorn almost works.

"That was a bald-faced lie and everyone knew it."

Correct phrase: "should have", usually heard as the contraction "should've". The weak sound of "'ve" is easily reshaped into "of".

"You should have told me sooner."

Correct phrase: "deep-seated", firmly established. A belief planted like a deep seed feels just as rooted.

"She has a deep-seated fear of heights."

Correct phrase: "flesh out an idea", to add detail. Flushing something into the open sounds plausible too, so the two get swapped.

"Let us flesh out the plan before the meeting."

Correct phrase: "whet your appetite", to sharpen it ("whet" means to sharpen). Since eating involves moisture, "wet" seems to fit.

"The trailer whetted my appetite for the film."

Correct phrase: "free rein", from loosening a horse's reins. The power of a monarch's "reign" makes the mistake feel logical.

"The designer was given free rein over the project."

Correct phrase: "pique my interest", to arouse it ("pique" is French for to prick). Reaching a peak of interest sounds reasonable.

"The strange title piqued my interest at once."

Correct phrase: "bated breath", from "abated", meaning held or lessened. Picturing breath as bait is vivid but wrong.

"We waited with bated breath for the verdict."

Correct phrase: "all of a sudden", meaning abruptly. Swapping "a" for "the" slips by almost unnoticed in speech.

"All of a sudden the lights went out."