Just recently I was in a conversation with a number of UK mainlanders and we had a debate over what “tories” meant, apparently disproportionately ordinarily it refers to a political party and it’s not usual to use it as short for “territories” as I’ve used it (according to how the debate ended, it was half and half between them). And once again I’m reminded of how people feel to look back at their usage of a word/phrase over the years and cringe.
More tragically, me and a friend were embarrassed once upon realizing everyone was confusing “encephalitis” with “hydrocephalus” when talking to someone about their kid with hydrocephalus. Awkward because encephalitis is caused by HIV.
Not a super long time but I conflated apocryphal with like sagely or scholarly
I still use catharsis in the way one might use “recieving one’s just punishment”
(Cathartic: It’s the feeling of excrement. A bowl movement. Cleansing yourself after eating a bunch of chilli dogs and coming out the other side fresh.)
For people wanting to know about the word catharsis: Catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. “music is a means of catharsis for them”
Also, you may want to look into your “bowl movement” XD
What is the word you’re looking for that isn’t catharsis?
I’d assume it would be comeuppance
recompense I think