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Originally Posted by queentess
Glad you asked the question, because I was wondering the same thing! Yes, it's a logical fallacy, but around here we use the phrase literally. "Begging the question" means "leading us to ask the question" unless you're specifically talking about arguments or logic. Must be a regional thing?
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I don't think it's a regional thing, more of a "want to appear educated" thing. "Begging the question" is a phrase that people use when they want to appear smart, but then they use it wrong and blow their cover.
The sad thing is that more and more the phrase is losing its real meaning. It's not just regular folks misusing it around the water cooler, but newscasters, journalists, reporters, and other people who should know better (or should at least know not to use phrases that they don't understand) misuse it all the time. That's why it's changed its meaning in the vernacular. It's also why it's a pet peeve of mine, and not necessarily an incorrect use of language (like "could care less", which implies that you do care, when you meant to say "couldn't care less" because you don't care). I have no illusions about fixing how people talk, but it still bugs me and I will instantly judge the user if they use it wrong.