Some content on this page is not suitable for young eyes or faint hearts. Views expressed by Sleep Talkin' Man rarely reflect the opinions of waking Adam. Especially the desire to exterminate all vegetarians (but he does hate lentils.)
Hi my name is isabelle and im from sweden and i follow your blog every single day and i looooove it! :D Keep on talking ;) http://nikotindamen.bloggplatsen.se/
"another think coming" is what my family have always said - like "you'd better think again". "thing" doesn't make any sense! (not that sleeptalking has to, of course!)
SO! The whale gets a cuddle, yet the shark is denied? PREJUDICE!!! Sharks need love too!!
And YES! The Graffiti Monkey is indeed out doing his worse! And he shall continue to do so until THE IGUANAS GET THEIR TEA! We want a fine tea too! We want one with rich biscuits served on spare saucers with doilies! And a bit of cannabis, I think! I hear Graffiti Monkey is quite keen on Cannabis! I know I am! Ahhhhhhh! Cannabis.......
Neuraljam, just because it doesn't conform to the grammar of standard British English doesn't mean it's necesarily wrong - not all forms of English have the same grammar, and in some dialects "think" is fine. In terms of meaning, "think" makes a lot more sense than "thing".
It's another think coming, neuraljam. I am British. Think, in the context of the sentence, is not a noun, it's a verb. Another think coming - the person will have to think about it again.
Here in New England, where we do things properly, the phrase is 'you've got another thing coming'. Using 'think' instead sounds about as silly as using the phrase 'might could'; that is, very silly.
Anyway, since this is my first time posting here, I have to mention how much I love this blog. The sleep-clouded mumbling of an odd English man makes for a surprisingly great start to the day.
You in New England are wrong. That's all. Thing doesn't even fit in the context of the sentence. There's no prior reference to any kind of thing, how can there be another thing coming? If you think thing is right, you have another think coming - one think, then another think.
Ok this is getting silly--they are just different idioms and different people use different ones. Personally, I've always heard and said "another thing coming" and I've never heard "think" but they both make sense. No point in bickering about it because you will never get everyone to agree. And let's face it: you are fighting about what a guy mumbles in the middle of the night. He shouts "Squid shit" for Christ's sake haha. Just listen to it like you want to--think or thing-- and enjoy the entertainment.
Another thing is the one that makes sense gramatically, but I've always said another think. Just like I know how Arkansas is pronounce but I say Ar-can-sass any way. :)
(this is Karen typing on Adam's computer): I just asked him which he says, "another thing" or "another think," and he confirmed that he had never heard the term "another think coming". So, whether correct or incorrect, we can probably assume that STM said "thing" (although we've certainly all seen examples of STM demonstrating a divergent consciousness from Adam).
"I will not play horsey. I cannot play horsey anymore" or some variation would be a great shirt for those babysitters / nannies among us and fun uncles and aunts :)
I love your blog! It always gives me a good laugh. I've introduced quite a few friends to it as well. I truly hope that if / when I get married that my relationship will be as fun and close as the two of you - with or without the sleep talking. ;)
just to clarify, I've always understood it as "if you think [something] is going to happen, then you have another thing coming", that is, you expect something, but another thing is coming to you.
Plus, Judas Priest did a track called "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and they can't be wrong :-p
But evidently I don't know how to pronounce Arkansas lol
Am I the only one who heard STM say "Squish it!" instead of "Squid shit"? If he said the latter, then that's weird and bizarre. If he said the former, I'm left wondering what sort of horrible spider or bug he was dreaming about... Now I'm off to google whether squids shit and how they do...
I always thought that the phrase was "another thing coming", and then I was in a play, and someone had that line and I always heard her say 'thing', until I read the script and found out that it said 'think', and from then on I heard the line as 'think' Moral of the story thing and think sound extremely alike and they both make sense, so it just depends on who is saying it. (Then again, when I was a kid I thought the phrase 'take it with a grain of salt' was 'take it with a grain assault'. Neither one of these phrases makes any literal sense, at least to me, but the first one is actully used to say to remain skeptical, so perhaps it it pointless to try to derive logical or gramatical sense out of anything we say.
Hm. Thanks to STM, I've discovered that squid do in fact shit. Very interesting! I've also learned how they do this, how they mate and that a squid has the longest organ in relation to body size of any animal. Hm. Many things I've learned. Thanks, STM!
And while I was on my research tangent, I learned this: The original expression is the last part of a deliberately ungrammatical joke: "If that's what you think, you've got another think coming." So "think" is original, but "thing" is grammatical. So you are all correct. Do I win the internets?
This all may be due to just hearing the words "thing" and "coming" together. For those who may not have studied linguistics, if you observe very carefully, you'll note that the sound at the end of "thing" is not actually an /n/ followed by a /g/ sound, it's one sound /ŋ/, called an "engma".
When we say an engma (and /g/, for that matter!), the tongue is actually right in the same position to pronounce a /k/, so there may sometimes be some overlap in the production of the sounds. This may account for why some people hear "think", and others hear "thing".
Sorry to go all linguist on this post, but I couldn't resist. :)
i love the last bit, and i guess its true- its whales did move faster, things wouldn't make their homes on their faces... by the way- thanks for brightening up each and every afternoon :) (when you post in lovely england, its just about 5pm here in Australia :)
Um...I am New England born and raised, it seems the "lower classes" say thing (myself included until I was in my mid twenties and heard the "proper" way to say it) and the "upper crust" say think. That's the thing I think anyway.
Also, it's been a while since I've seen a language debate unfold, let alone participated in one (the "Numpty" discussion doesn't count :P), but here's my little addition to the mess:
Karen has already stated that Adam said "another thing coming", so that's that. However, there is some debate (which is still ongoing, last time I checked) about whether "another thing coming" is merely a linguistic mutation of "another think coming," the latter preceding the former in documented use.
They both make sense in their own way, in my opinion, and since they are both in such common use today, I submit that they are both correct. Sometimes the "wrong" usage becomes the norm, after all; it's the evolution of language. Much like how "ironic" has practically become a synonym for "sarcastic" these days.
I have looked up several books now (feel free to do the same, google books is there for a reason), and almost every one states it's "another thing coming"; this might have changed to "think" later on. It makes more sense to say thing for several reason, some mentioned above: considering you want some[thing], you'll be disappointed as another [thing] shall occur/fall in your lap/etc. than you think. It is not because you are [thinking] something will happen, or you want something, that another [think] is coming. That just doesn't make sense.
The whole purpose of the idiom is to signify that something unsuspected will occur, something you did not think will happen. If you had the chance to [think] about it before the unsuspected [thing] actually occurred, that would kind of defeat the purpose, would it not?
Something unexpected could occur even if you've had plenty of time to think about it.
For example: you told your boss that you had the Plague when you were, in fact, playing water polo in a pool of sour apple schnapps. You thought long and hard about how your boss would react when he found out, considering all possible scenarios, but when you got in to the office the following day, your boss turned to you with a happy face and exclaimed, "Cherry spats and chocolate chaps. It's a party!"
Having said that: "another think coming" makes just as much sense as "another thing," especially considering that the full expression is "If you think this-and-that, you've got another think/g coming"
Also, if you're going to bring Google Books in here, take a look at the discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.usage.english/browse_thread/thread/ed8ffb55abb02229/f8ba608b10ccd7e0?pli=1 (buggered if I know how to insert a proper link in here)
I really love the reveals. They're the best parts. I'm here in the UK, separated by the visa process from my US wife, and listening to your reveals is heartbreaking achey wonderfulness that makes me miss her even more.
Thank you :)
[Seems Languagelog has covered the coming of the thin[gk]s in detail. Basically, like "ho[mn]e in on", one version (think) predates the other by maybe a few years, and one version (thing) is winning on Google hits, but they've both existed in print for somewhat over a hundred years, so they're both basically "correct" as much as English ever can be, and neither can be said to be abnormal.]
Reminds me of a debate over "tighty whities" and many Americans (because they pronounce tighty and tidy the same) thinking it's "tidy" whities (or whiteys).
In my family it's always been "another think", a quirky and deliberately grammatically-incorrect way of saying you're going to be proven wrong. The full phrase is "if you think [such-and-such], you've got another think coming".
If it makes you feel any better, think of it as a butchered gerund instead of a pseudo-noun.
Hi my name is isabelle and im from sweden and i follow your blog every single day and i looooove it! :D
ReplyDeleteKeep on talking ;)
http://nikotindamen.bloggplatsen.se/
Actually Kirst, it is 'another thing coming', that's the British (and more grammatically correct) version :-)
ReplyDeletelol I love the last clip about how whales should move faster so barnacles wouldn't make their homes on their faces XD
Shark cuddling= the new extreme sport.
ReplyDeleteThat would make an awesome tshirt
"another think coming" is what my family have always said - like "you'd better think again". "thing" doesn't make any sense! (not that sleeptalking has to, of course!)
ReplyDeleteYou guys are an awesome couple. If I were you, I'd be proud.
ReplyDeleteSO! The whale gets a cuddle, yet the shark is denied? PREJUDICE!!! Sharks need love too!!
ReplyDeleteAnd YES! The Graffiti Monkey is indeed out doing his worse! And he shall continue to do so until THE IGUANAS GET THEIR TEA! We want a fine tea too! We want one with rich biscuits served on spare saucers with doilies! And a bit of cannabis, I think! I hear Graffiti Monkey is quite keen on Cannabis! I know I am! Ahhhhhhh! Cannabis.......
Neuraljam, just because it doesn't conform to the grammar of standard British English doesn't mean it's necesarily wrong - not all forms of English have the same grammar, and in some dialects "think" is fine. In terms of meaning, "think" makes a lot more sense than "thing".
ReplyDeleteIt's another think coming, neuraljam. I am British. Think, in the context of the sentence, is not a noun, it's a verb. Another think coming - the person will have to think about it again.
ReplyDeleteYou guys. Really?
ReplyDeleteHere in New England, where we do things properly, the phrase is 'you've got another thing coming'. Using 'think' instead sounds about as silly as using the phrase 'might could'; that is, very silly.
Anyway, since this is my first time posting here, I have to mention how much I love this blog. The sleep-clouded mumbling of an odd English man makes for a surprisingly great start to the day.
You in New England are wrong. That's all. Thing doesn't even fit in the context of the sentence. There's no prior reference to any kind of thing, how can there be another thing coming? If you think thing is right, you have another think coming - one think, then another think.
ReplyDeleteOk this is getting silly--they are just different idioms and different people use different ones. Personally, I've always heard and said "another thing coming" and I've never heard "think" but they both make sense. No point in bickering about it because you will never get everyone to agree. And let's face it: you are fighting about what a guy mumbles in the middle of the night. He shouts "Squid shit" for Christ's sake haha. Just listen to it like you want to--think or thing-- and enjoy the entertainment.
ReplyDeleteCan I have "Shark Cuddling: The Next Extreme Sport" on a T-shirt. Pleeeeeeeeease! It would make the best Christmas present for a friend of mine.
ReplyDelete"Shark Cuddling: The Next Extreme Sport"
ReplyDeletedefinitely a shirt
Another thing is the one that makes sense gramatically, but I've always said another think. Just like I know how Arkansas is pronounce but I say Ar-can-sass any way. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat!? Sharks need love too, you know...
ReplyDeletei love you guys so much. thanks for all your amazing support. your comments make karen and i laugh so much.
ReplyDelete(this is Karen typing on Adam's computer): I just asked him which he says, "another thing" or "another think," and he confirmed that he had never heard the term "another think coming". So, whether correct or incorrect, we can probably assume that STM said "thing" (although we've certainly all seen examples of STM demonstrating a divergent consciousness from Adam).
ReplyDeleteI'ts 'think'. Full stop.
ReplyDelete"I will not play horsey. I cannot play horsey anymore" or some variation would be a great shirt for those babysitters / nannies among us and fun uncles and aunts :)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! It always gives me a good laugh. I've introduced quite a few friends to it as well. I truly hope that if / when I get married that my relationship will be as fun and close as the two of you - with or without the sleep talking. ;)
Thing, think, thank, thunk....lol, whatever! Why quibble over such nonsense. The point is that the shark needs a cuddle! ;o)
ReplyDeletejust to clarify, I've always understood it as "if you think [something] is going to happen, then you have another thing coming", that is, you expect something, but another thing is coming to you.
ReplyDeletePlus, Judas Priest did a track called "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and they can't be wrong :-p
But evidently I don't know how to pronounce Arkansas lol
Am I the only one who heard STM say "Squish it!" instead of "Squid shit"? If he said the latter, then that's weird and bizarre. If he said the former, I'm left wondering what sort of horrible spider or bug he was dreaming about... Now I'm off to google whether squids shit and how they do...
ReplyDeleteI've always said '...another think coming' too. I've never heard anyone say '...another thing coming'.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that the phrase was "another thing coming", and then I was in a play, and someone had that line and I always heard her say 'thing', until I read the script and found out that it said 'think', and from then on I heard the line as 'think' Moral of the story thing and think sound extremely alike and they both make sense, so it just depends on who is saying it. (Then again, when I was a kid I thought the phrase 'take it with a grain of salt' was 'take it with a grain assault'. Neither one of these phrases makes any literal sense, at least to me, but the first one is actully used to say to remain skeptical, so perhaps it it pointless to try to derive logical or gramatical sense out of anything we say.
ReplyDeleteHm. Thanks to STM, I've discovered that squid do in fact shit. Very interesting! I've also learned how they do this, how they mate and that a squid has the longest organ in relation to body size of any animal. Hm. Many things I've learned. Thanks, STM!
ReplyDeleteAnd while I was on my research tangent, I learned this:
The original expression is the last part of a deliberately ungrammatical joke: "If that's what you think, you've got another think coming." So "think" is original, but "thing" is grammatical.
So you are all correct. Do I win the internets?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis all may be due to just hearing the words "thing" and "coming" together. For those who may not have studied linguistics, if you observe very carefully, you'll note that the sound at the end of "thing" is not actually an /n/ followed by a /g/ sound, it's one sound /ŋ/, called an "engma".
ReplyDeleteWhen we say an engma (and /g/, for that matter!), the tongue is actually right in the same position to pronounce a /k/, so there may sometimes be some overlap in the production of the sounds. This may account for why some people hear "think", and others hear "thing".
Sorry to go all linguist on this post, but I couldn't resist. :)
i love the last bit, and i guess its true- its whales did move faster, things wouldn't make their homes on their faces...
ReplyDeleteby the way- thanks for brightening up each and every afternoon :) (when you post in lovely england, its just about 5pm here in Australia :)
Um...I am New England born and raised, it seems the "lower classes" say thing (myself included until I was in my mid twenties and heard the "proper" way to say it) and the "upper crust" say think. That's the thing I think anyway.
ReplyDeleteI love you guys and I totally enjoy reading/listening to STM, but the best for me today was Adam's "I bet it's inky." It was hilarious!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with bmolavi on just above me post :-)
ReplyDeleteI've only heard of "another thing coming" i.e. Judas Priest song like some other poster said.
I bet it's inky! Way too friggen funny!
And STM makes my day again :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's been a while since I've seen a language debate unfold, let alone participated in one (the "Numpty" discussion doesn't count :P), but here's my little addition to the mess:
Karen has already stated that Adam said "another thing coming", so that's that. However, there is some debate (which is still ongoing, last time I checked) about whether "another thing coming" is merely a linguistic mutation of "another think coming," the latter preceding the former in documented use.
They both make sense in their own way, in my opinion, and since they are both in such common use today, I submit that they are both correct. Sometimes the "wrong" usage becomes the norm, after all; it's the evolution of language. Much like how "ironic" has practically become a synonym for "sarcastic" these days.
I have looked up several books now (feel free to do the same, google books is there for a reason), and almost every one states it's "another thing coming"; this might have changed to "think" later on. It makes more sense to say thing for several reason, some mentioned above: considering you want some[thing], you'll be disappointed as another [thing] shall occur/fall in your lap/etc. than you think. It is not because you are [thinking] something will happen, or you want something, that another [think] is coming. That just doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteAlana G: all living organisms excrete, squid included ;)
ReplyDeleteChris
The whole purpose of the idiom is to signify that something unsuspected will occur, something you did not think will happen. If you had the chance to [think] about it before the unsuspected [thing] actually occurred, that would kind of defeat the purpose, would it not?
ReplyDeleteSomething unexpected could occur even if you've had plenty of time to think about it.
ReplyDeleteFor example: you told your boss that you had the Plague when you were, in fact, playing water polo in a pool of sour apple schnapps. You thought long and hard about how your boss would react when he found out, considering all possible scenarios, but when you got in to the office the following day, your boss turned to you with a happy face and exclaimed, "Cherry spats and chocolate chaps. It's a party!"
Having said that: "another think coming" makes just as much sense as "another thing," especially considering that the full expression is "If you think this-and-that, you've got another think/g coming"
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you're going to bring Google Books in here, take a look at the discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.usage.english/browse_thread/thread/ed8ffb55abb02229/f8ba608b10ccd7e0?pli=1 (buggered if I know how to insert a proper link in here)
I refer you all to this brilliant and relevant XKCD comic.
ReplyDeletejackie, I, for one, humbly bow to your, and Randall's wisdom :). I guess I got a bit carried away...
ReplyDeleteI really love the reveals. They're the best parts. I'm here in the UK, separated by the visa process from my US wife, and listening to your reveals is heartbreaking achey wonderfulness that makes me miss her even more.
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
[Seems Languagelog has covered the coming of the thin[gk]s in detail. Basically, like "ho[mn]e in on", one version (think) predates the other by maybe a few years, and one version (thing) is winning on Google hits, but they've both existed in print for somewhat over a hundred years, so they're both basically "correct" as much as English ever can be, and neither can be said to be abnormal.]
How can a "think" come at you?
ReplyDeleteIt's thing.
Reminds me of a debate over "tighty whities" and many Americans (because they pronounce tighty and tidy the same) thinking it's "tidy" whities (or whiteys).
In my family it's always been "another think", a quirky and deliberately grammatically-incorrect way of saying you're going to be proven wrong. The full phrase is "if you think [such-and-such], you've got another think coming".
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel any better, think of it as a butchered gerund instead of a pseudo-noun.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/another-think-coming.html
ReplyDeleteRemember May 31.... STM was talking about squids shitting....
ReplyDeleteI'd cuddle the shark.
ReplyDeleteLove this Karen!
ReplyDelete10 years since squid shit and the Great Thing/k debate!
ReplyDelete