play emily brewster and one and the same text graphic

'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

Is it all the same anyway?


Is it 'one in the same' or 'one and the same'? Senior Editor Emily Brewster explains.

Transcript

Sometimes a word that sounds like the right word and feels like the right word isn't actually the right word, it's an eggcorn. The acrobat and the farmer who are the same person aren't "one in the same," they're "one and the same." You don't have to choose between being an acrobat and a farmer. You can be one and the same.

Up next

play emily brewster and one and the same text graphic
'One in the same' or 'One and the same'?

 

Is it all the same anyway?

play video healthy vs healthful
Healthy vs. Healthful

 

Why both words are equally good for you.

play video ghost words
How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

play merriam-webster eggcorns title page
What Is an Eggcorn?

 

And how did it get that name?

play ismo merriam webster trunk boot
Some Odd Words with ISMO: "Junk in the Trunk"

 

Comedian ISMO on what separates a boot from a trunk

play video title attorney generals
Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

play video old school grammar humorsome
Old-School Grammar

 

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.