Example: I got the wrong end of the stick and misunderstood her.
Definition
"To get the wrong end of the stick" means to misunderstand a situation or someone's words, often leading to confusion or incorrect assumptions. For example, if someone says, 'I got the wrong end of the stick and misunderstood her,' it means they misinterpreted what was said or intended.
Translations
entenderlo mal
het verkeerd begrijpen
entendre-ho mal
se méprendre
etwas falsch verstehen
Etymology
The phrase "to get the wrong end of the stick" likely originates from a misunderstanding of which end of a stick to hold, symbolizing confusion or error. It has been used in English since at least the 17th century to describe situations where someone misinterprets information or intentions.
Learn to use this expression actively
"To get the wrong end of the stick" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used expressions.
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