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95014_refugee | 1 year 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)

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buttercraft|1 year ago

Multiple 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|1 year ago

Dictionaries also (incorrectly) recognize "literally" to mean "figuratively". They aren't exactly a compelling source these days.

jorvi|1 year ago

I 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 :-)

eyelidlessness|1 year ago

You 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.

CRConrad|1 year ago

You 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?