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Sunday comics this week featured Dagwood saying "... in case things take a turn for the worst."
I always thought the expression was "...for the worse" which would imply things are simply headed south ("worse" being an adjective). Saying something is taking a turn for the "worst" seems to be a prediction that it's gonna go all the way, as opposed to just being diminished by some finite amount. Why is that expression morphing? Seeing that comic strip reminded me I've been hearing & reading that expression a lot more often lately.
So I checked Ngrams and found this, which supports the standard expression.
Now I have to wonder if this recent increase in "turn for the worst" reflects a general increase in pessimism, or just another near-homophone error. I suspect the latter, but when I see it in print it suggests the editors are OK with it. Not like comics get much editing, but I'm just speculating here. Other speculations welcome. 
deaconB said: Your wife called. She wants you to get wurst.
Glenn said: Turn for the wurst
I had a feeling there'd be that play on words. As I was typing my original post, I recalled an old Three Stooges episode where they were working in a butcher shop and messed up big with the sausage machine. One of them (probably Curly) exclaimed "Looks like things have taken a turn for the wurst!"
RobertB said: People sometimes say the wrong things on purpose for effects, in this case to emphasize their pessimism.
And that's a good point I had not considered. But I still have to wonder if most people who say that (...turn for the worst) are really engaging in intentional hyperbole or simply making a near-homophone error. It could be hyperbole, but I still suspect the latter.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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