He missed his aim
Hi
Long ago, I heard a British English speaker say 'He missed his aim' instead of 'He missed his target'. I thought it was a slip of the tongue. But then I heard it again--this time too by someone British.
I am aware that the use of aim would sound plain wrong to speakers of AmE. Could I request Rover, Clive and/or GPY, etc to give their take on this?
Thanks,
Tom
Top answer
What was the context?
- What was the context?
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Mr. TomBut then I heard it again--this time too by someone British.
Being a native speaker does always guarantee that someone will use the language well. That depends on their level of education and what they are used to hearing other people say. Many native speakers make mistakes without realising.
It can be useful to use a search engine to find
0"missed his aim" was used much more in the 19th century than it is today, and "missed his target" was very rarely used back then, but the frequencies are reversed starting around the middle of the 20th century. There is no significant difference in trends when you compare British and American usage. Both are still used.
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