After my last post, Sarah pointed out to me that she has only ever heard the phrase “another thing coming.” In fact, she thought I must have made a typo. I, on the other hand, had only ever heard “another think coming,” until about a year ago. My take was that it was a play on words; hers, that it was to be taken less literally, as “something else is coming to change your mind.”
So, Google to the rescue, right? Wrong! The “thing” version has 253,000 hits (and a hit Judas Priest song), while the “think” version has only 50,300 hits. But wait, there’s more! Many of the non-song hits for “thing” are criticizing that version as a mistake for “think.” But… the earliest recorded form may be “thing.” Wiktionary claims that “think” is correct in British usage, while “thing” is the “only common form in US.” This last bit is patently false, as it’s a very common saying in the South, and, like I said, I had never heard “thing” until a year or so ago. This has inspired some impassioned debate over at wordreference, with Americans, Brits, and Aussies all offering different opinions.
So, which is it? Chime in in the comments!
P.S. Personally, I just like “think,” so proper usage be damned, that’s what I’m going with!