Words...Confused, Abused, or Diffused?

Often we think and speak so quickly that our language gets blurred, or substituted...sometimes incorrectly.

It's simple to get in the habit of using non-words or using words inappropriately. In our "say nothing" society, rarely will someone tell you to your face, but behind your back, or in the listener's mind, your use of incorrect words, or inventing/using non-words takes away from your professionalism and positive impact that you can have on others.

Two of the most commonly heard, poorly used language selections have been: irregardless, and waylayed.

Here are the explanations:

Irregardless gets a bit of talk time in place of the word regardless. Sure, things happen regardless of circumstances. Regardless means in spite of everything. There is no need to make it the reverse of in spite of everything, and the "IR" in front of regardless does not make it "more so". An example is "I am going to the outdoor concert regardless of the weather."

What is with waylayed used for delayed? We are delayed, and that can make us tardy for events. We are not waylayed, unless we are first waylayed (surprised/ambushed), and second, we get delayed. People often think WAYlayed means DElayed, where waylayed means surprised by ambush!

So, imagine these used together in this humorous statement "The construction detour waylayed me, but irregardless, I got home only 15 minutes after my planned arrival.", instead of the appropriately stated sentence "The construction detour delayed me, but regardless, I quickly got home on a new route, and I was only 15 minutes tardy."!

Have fun with these, and if you notice other questionable iterations, please share them with me for further exploration, explanation, growth, and learning.

Cheers to making this, and each day, one of not getting waylayed regardless of any words we hear or don't hear...