misquote

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(mĭs-kwōt') pronunciation
tr.v., -quot·ed, -quot·ing, -quotes.
To quote incorrectly.

misquotation mis'quo·ta'tion (-kwō-tā'shən) n.
misquoter mis·quot'er n.

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Many catchphrases and allusive expressions are based on altered forms of literary quotations. The proverb Every dog has his day is based on a 16th century adage translated from the Dutch humanist Erasmus (1500) and was given currency by a line spoken by Shakespeare's Hamlet:
Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat shall mew, and dog will have his day—Shakespeare, Hamlet, v.i.286.
The idiom to escape by the skin of one's teeth is an altered form of the Authorized Version of Job 19:20: I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Idiom and allusion go their own way in language; however, it is important to give the correct form when the allusion is given as a quotation. The following table lists the correct forms of some of the more common literary extracts, with the popular versions alongside:

quotationpopular formsource
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat breadby the sweat of one's browBible, Genesis 3:19
I am escaped with the skin of my teethto escape by the skin of one's teethBible, Job 19:20
To gild refined gold, to paint the lilyto gild the lilyShakespeare, King John
A goodly apple rotten at the heartrotten at the coreShakespeare, Merchant of Venice
But yet I'll make assurance double suredoubly sureShakespeare, Macbeth
Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures newfresh fields and pastures newMilton, Lycidas
They kept the noiseless tenor of their waythe even tenorGray, Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard
A little learning is a dangerous thinga little knowledgePope, Essay on Criticism
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gleythe best-laid plansBurns, 'To a Mouse'
Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drinkAnd not a drop to drinkColeridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweatblood, sweat, and tearsWinston Churchill, Hansard, 1940

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Translations:

Misquote

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr., -
v. intr. - fejlcitere
n. - fejlcitat

Nederlands (Dutch)
verkeerd citeren

Français (French)
v. tr. - citer à faux, citer inexactement, citer (un auteur) inexactement
v. intr. - citer inexactement, citer à faux
n. - inexactitude, citation inexacte

Deutsch (German)
v. - falsch zitieren
n. - etw. ungenau zitieren

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αλλοιώνω λεχθέντα ή γραφέντα, αποδίδω ή παραθέτω ανακριβώς

Italiano (Italian)
citare erroneamente

Português (Portuguese)
v. - citar (texto) incorretamente

Русский (Russian)
неправильно цитировать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - citar incorrectamente
v. intr. - citar incorrectamente
n. - cita falsa o equivocada

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - felcitera

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
误引, 引错, 引用错误

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 誤引
v. intr. - 引錯
n. - 引用錯誤

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 잘못 인용하다
v. intr. - 잘못 인용하다
n. - 잘못된 인용

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 誤った引用
v. - 間違って引用する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسيء في الاقتباس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮טעה בציטוט‬
v. intr. - ‮ציטט לא נכון‬
n. - ‮טעות בציטוט‬


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Mentioned in

Nathan Hale (computer jargon)
Citizen of the World (1999 Album by David Arkenstone)
Complete Works, Vol. 1 (2001 Album by Mike Hansen)
Play It Again Sam, for viola (Classical Work)