contrary to popular belief
English
Phrase
- The opposite of what most laypeople would think is true.
- Contrary to popular belief, Columbus was not the first person to discover America.
- 2016 September 13, Tim Dowling, “Order force: the old grammar rule we all obey without realising”, in The Guardian:
- I regularly have cause to recall a scene from a novel called Madder Music, by Peter de Vries, in which the main character, a writer who specialises in polo, hears a match announcer telling newcomers to the ground that, contrary to popular belief, the ball is struck with the side of the mallet, rather than the end.
Further reading
- “contrary to popular belief”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “contrary to popular belief”, in Collins English Dictionary.
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