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One does not "hone in" on anything. To hone a thing is to make it sharper or more acute by removing parts of it with an abrasive. The word you are looking for i
by 95014_refugee 2y ago
One does not "hone in" on anything. To hone a thing is to make it sharper or more acute by removing parts of it with an abrasive. The word you are looking for is "home", as in a homing missile, etc.
Yes, this is a criticism. Hopefully it's twice as effective as being nice. 8)
- buttercraft 2y agoMultiple dictionaries recognize the usage of "hone in" to mean "sharpening" your focus on something rather than "home in" which is to move towards something.
- bigstrat2003 2y agoDictionaries also (incorrectly) recognize "literally" to mean "figuratively". They aren't exactly a compelling source these days.
- Dylan16807 2y agoShow me one. When "literally" is used in a figurative way, it's an intensifier. It means "very much". It never means "figuratively".
- eyelidlessness 2y agoYou knew what they meant, which is clear if you’re able to correct the use of language accurately. This isn’t a criticism per se, but an acknowledgment that language evolves and part of the way it does that is acceptance that “incorrect” usage, once common enough, is seldom reversed.
- jorvi 2y agoI went down a slight rabbit hole for this: apparently both are correct, although "hone in" doesn't seem to have a ground source and has gotten institutionalized in our lexicon over time. By the way, I don't mind the nit at all! English is not my first language and I slip up occasionally, so refreshers are welcome :-)
- CRConrad 2y agoYou may not hone in on anything, but people who are better at English do. This would be doubly ironic if you're a native English speaker. Are you?