The problem with commonly used phrases and idioms is that they're often misused. I hear people say "lone behold" all of the time, but to the best of my knowledge lone behold means nothing at all. Lo and behold, however, means "look and behold!" It's an interjection used to express surprise or excitement.
"Hunger pains" is another one gets thrown around a lot, but the actual term is hunger pang. Hunger pangs are uncomfortable muscle contractions that signal hunger. Since a pang causes pain the mistake is understandable, but it's still technically incorrect.
Also, intensive purposes aren't an actual thing. This one really gets on my nerves. "For all intents and purposes" means in every practical sense, in every important respect, practically speaking, etc. Intensive purposes would be purposes, goals or resolutions that are intense.
A scapegoat is a person who bears the blame for others. An escape goat, on the other hand, is a goat that has escaped from its owner.
My favorite one (meaning the one that bothers me the most) is probably when people say "I could care less." What they mean to say is that they could not possibly have less interest in the matter at hand. They're trying to express that whatever is going on means nothing to them; it's not even worth thinking about. But by saying "I could care less," they're actually saying that the matter at hand is at least a little important to them.
Unfortunately, people tend to get mad at me when I correct them.
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