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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)




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.


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


Show me one.

When "literally" is used in a figurative way, it's an intensifier. It means "very much". It never means "figuratively".


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 :-)


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.


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?




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