Angus Kidman – anguskidman.show

A recent Mumbrella column on the death of live TV included this clanger:

Disney are in the final throws of doing a deal with Fox Sports to stream sport.

This really threw me (ahem).

The correct expression is “in the throes of”. As the Macquarie Dictionary explains, this means “engaged in; fully preoccupied with”. It’s nothing to do with tossing dice.

I can see how you’d make this mistake if you’d never seen the phrase written down. It’s not common in English for “oe” to be pronounced that way; “Joe”, “hoe”, “toe”, “woe” and “sloe” (as in gin) are the most obvious examples.

Nonetheless, “in the throes of” is correct, if a tad hyperbolic. “In the throws of” is just plain wrong. Accuracy matters.

Mind Your Language is an occasional series where I provide nit-picking advice on writing. Language always changes and evolves, but that doesn’t mean anything goes.