Gyles Brandreth and Specsavers Fight Hilarious Misheard Sayings

Writer, broadcaster and famous wordsmith Gyles Brandreth has teamed up with Specsavers to correct the nation’s mishearing of well-known sayings, as new research reveals friends and family are just too polite to tell each other they are wrong.

Launching the ‘Misheard Manifesto’, an integrated earned first campaign, Specsavers vows to make 2024 the year misheard sayings come to an end. Together with Gyles Brandreth, they’re calling on the nation to finally banish ‘wriggle room’, ‘escape goat’, ‘damp squid’, ‘nip in the butt’, and other incorrect phrases.

Gyles, teased the campaign pre-launch by saying these misheard phrases on his This Morning slot and on Instagram Reels, in process driving some of his unwitting but eagle eared fans wild!

Misheard sayings (officially known as ‘eggcorns’) are rife, with nearly half (46%) of Brits admitting to using at least one incorrectly. Two-fifths (40%) have been mishearing them for years and one in 10 (10%) for their entire lives. When other people use misheard sayings, one in four find them irritating or annoying. More than half of those surveyed (52%) put their misuse of common words and sayings down to hearing difficulties, yet only 41% had gone for a hearing check in the past five years.

Gyles, who revealed he has hearing loss, said, “These misheard sayings have plagued our nation’s conversations for too many years.  Clear hearing is the cornerstone of clear conversations. So, if you’ve ever heard these treasured sayings as ‘escape goat’ when it’s ‘scapegoat’, or dare I say it ‘nip it in the butt’ when it’s ‘nip it in the bud’, consider getting a hearing check.”

Research suggests that more than five million people in the UK are actively ignoring a hearing issue, just struggling through with unclear or reduced hearing. People often wait 10 years before addressing changes in their hearing, despite the help readily available on high streets across the country. This can result in a reduced quality of life, difficulty communicating and feelings of isolation.  

The new ‘Misheard’ campaign is the latest instalment in the Specsavers’ audiology series, a multi-year creative strategic platform created by Golin, based on the insight that while hearing loss is scary, mishearing is connecting. The integrated campaign runs across earned, owned and paid social and radio, executed by Golin, Tangerine and MG.

The Misheard Manifesto follows the brand’s Cannes Lions double Grand Prix winning ‘Misheard Version’ integrated campaign and radio ad, which played on the fact that Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ is one of the most commonly misheard songs by replacing the lyrics.

Specsavers head of brand PR and Social, Lisa Hale said, “There are 18 million adults in the UK who have hearing loss and many more people don’t realise that they are not hearing things as clearly as they used to. The aim, through our Misheard campaigns, is to open up the conversation about our hearing health and encourage people to act sooner.”

Golin chief creative officer, Alex Wood said, “Hearing loss shows itself in everyday mishearing moments - many of which are entertaining. By leaning into the warmth and humour of misheard sayings, we aim to create a different, more engaging conversation about ear health. Far away from the scary, medicalised category norms which no one wants to hear about.”

Misheard Manifesto is paving the way for an above the line Specsavers advertising campaign, entitled ‘OK’ hearing is not OK. This includes a new TV commercial that aims to continue the national conversation and stress that no one should feel they have to suffer in silence with their hearing loss. 

Top 10 misheard sayings

1. Misheard: Wriggle room

Correct: Wiggle room

2. Misheard: Escape goat

Correct: Scape goat

3. Misheard: Nip it in the butt

Correct: Nip it in the bud

4. Misheard: Tenderhooks

Correct: Tenterhooks

5. Misheard: Chomp at the bit

Correct: Champ at the bit

6. Misheard: Biting my time

Correct: Biding my time

7. Misheard: Damp squid

Correct: Damp squib

8. Misheard: For all intensive purposes

Correct: For all intents and purposes

9. Misheard: Scotch free

Correct: Scot free

10. Misheard: It’s a mute point

Correct: It’s a moot point