Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
For years I thought people said “patience is avert you” instead of “a virtue”.
My rationale was that avert was a word which (as in “avert your eyes”) distances one from something (if you avert your eyes you look away from it), and I only ever heard the phrase when patience had deserted me. So it made sense, to me at least, that patience could avert itself from me and the phrase meant “you’re being impatient” rather than “patience is something you should strive for”.
I’m not sure if enough people have made this mistake however for it to enter the hallowed halls of egg corns. A quick google suggests it is very uncommon.
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Here’s a collection of instances of this odd construction, including four first-person accounts and one person trying to correct the use of the acorn.
OP- man lol just take it easy she will give in when she is ready..u just have to wait..patience is avert you..
bodybuilder
Re: Things you ‘got’ years later
I used to think “Patience is a virtue” was “Patience is avert you,” like avert was a verb lmao
fan forum
how long does it take to hear back to recover my account?
It varies, sometimes 24 hours, other times 3-4 days, they get really busy patience is avert you.
gamer forum
remember, “Patience is a virtue”. (Funny story, my dad used to say that to me all the time – I was quite the impatient child – & I always thought he was saying, “Patience is avert you”. No idea why or what I thought it was supposed to mean… maybe patience is washing over you, like a Jedi mind trick? Anyway, I was a good bit older when I finally realized what he was actually saying.)
baby forum
for it is patience that is a virtue
IDK why
but for some reason
I always thought that the phrase was
“Patience is avert you”
Meaning that patience would be waiting for you o0’
blog
A friend of my exes thought it was “patience is avert you” thinking it meant patience was somehow avoiding you.
forum
Ever heard the old saying: “Patience is a virtue”... quoted from phrausts post.
that has absolutely nothing to do with it because that is not a true saying, it is “patience is AVERT you” wich is the right saying
lol good thinking though. i guess..
gamer forum
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