More on the Setting of Feet

[revena]

Okay, so the set foot/stepped foot thing, for those of you who were all "bzuh?" about my last post:

I have always heard and said it as "set foot." As in, "he said he'd kill me if I ever set foot in his secret hideout again." rather than "he said he'd kill me if I ever stepped foot in his secret hideout again." I also would use it in the infinitive form, as in "if I ever dared to set foot" rather than "if I ever dared to step foot." But, I have read people using "stepped/step foot" many times, and lately it seems to be cropping up all over - in blog entries, fanfic, novels that I'm reading, etc. And so I started to wonder if maybe my "set foot" was in error? Or maybe it was a regional dialect thing?

Of course, now that a whole bunch of you have weighed in on the side of "set foot" and no one has chosen "stepped foot" yet, I'm confused all over again.

In completely unrelated news, I was flopping on the bed while chatting on the phone a little while ago, and looked over and saw what looked like little tiny bloodstains on the wall over on my side of the bed. After the phone conversation, I took another look. Definitely blood. But like these teeeeny droplets. How did it get there?? Did one of the cats get a torn claw cuticle and then rear up on the wall several times? Did I sneeze with a slightly bloody nose just as I was walking by? IT IS A MYSTERY. And also kinda gross. I should go clean that up while I'm thinking about it, actually.

Comments

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

It's a dialect thing, as far as I know.

[revena.livejournal.com]

That seems most likely, yeah.

[zinaya-y2kewel.livejournal.com]

Unclean!

[revena.livejournal.com]

*chokes on soda*

[littlebutfierce]

Apparently it's an eggcorn.

Re: the blood--um. Any chance you might have bedbugs? B/c I've heard tiny blood dots like that is often a telltale sign (b/c they bite you). I hope for your sake it's one of your other suggestions!

[revena.livejournal.com]

Nope, no bedbugs. I'm thinking the sneeze thing is the most likely scenario. Especially since I totally did it to the backsplash in the kitchen this evening when I was washing dishes...

I think maybe it's time to turn our humidifier up a little bit!

[moon-fox.livejournal.com]

I think it's just one of those things that spreads after hearing something wrong. (Case in point: "would of." That one still makes me cringe XD)

[revena.livejournal.com]

Would of doesn't get to me nearly as much as "for all intensive purposes."

[tacithydra.livejournal.com]

Maybe somebody got crazy with a red pen?

:: FURIOUS EDITING ::

[revena.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[furikku.livejournal.com]

I... have never, ever seen "step/ped foot" used before today, in your journal here.

So yeah.

[revena.livejournal.com]

Dude, really? I didn't think it was that uncommon a phrase!

[poisonivory.livejournal.com]

I have never, ever seen or heard of "stepped foot." That is crazy and wrong. It's not even grammatically correct! That's like saying "eat mouth." I say unto you: nay.

[revena.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah? Well EAT MOUTH, sucka!

[seeksadventure.livejournal.com]

I would guess the sneeze with bloody nose. That used to happen to Jake all the time, especially if he'd sneeze while he was just waking up with a bloody nose.

[revena.livejournal.com]

It's both gross and reassuring to know that I'm not alone in this. ;-)

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Set foot. I've never never heard stepped foot.

[revena.livejournal.com]

And never never read it, either? I'm seeing it in fic a lot, lately. But I'm also reading outside HP more...

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

No, never read it. And set foot is in Roget's Thesaurus which gives it the gloos of respectability

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

It's "set foot." Anyone who says otherwise is part of a conspiracy to destroy English. I know this is true because I am right.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I can't argue with that reasoning!

[saiermune.livejournal.com]

I've always heard set foot...I've never heard of step foot.

[http://users.livejournal.com/costumegoddess_/]

When we found mysterious blood spots on the walls at my parents' house many years ago, we finally discovered that it was the dogs. All the dogs, but the Irish Wolfhound in particular would get excited, and break their tails open on the corners of the walls, then wag and spray. Pretty grody!

~K~