working progress vs. work in progress

[fenixpollo]

When I am in the middle of a project, and I want to emphasize the ongoing nature of it and the fact that it is not finished, I say that it is a work in progress.

In the exact same context, an Australian acquaintance described a project as a working progress. I have never heard it said this way, and it sounds wrong to me.

However, I realize that there are regional and generational variations in language, as well as pronunciation factors; so I wanted to confirm with the braintrust here at WR (that means you) that this is a valid expression.

Is your ongoing project a working progress or is it a work in progress?

 

[ewie]

Oh it's definitely a work in progress for me, Fenix. I suspect working progress is just a linguistic 'tic', an error the chap isn't aware he makes.

 

[stevea]

I've never heard of "working progress". This sounds to me as if the user has got it wrong rather like "would of" instead of "would have".

 

[Packard]

"Working progress" is probably an error the creeped in from a spoken source.

Working progress and work in progress would sound nearly identical as spoken.

 

[Suspishio]

"I haven't made much working progress this week" is a common use of "working progress".

With a wry smile, I have to agree with stevea on "!work in progress". Why a smile? See the thread on "Across the piste".

 

[cuchuflete]

Hello Profe Pollo,

Sounds like idiom creep to me. Might your colleague have a manufacturing background, and be confused about work in process [inventory]?

 

[fenixpollo]

Thanks, everybody. You have confirmed my suspicions.

 

[10secROM]

I know I'm 10 years late to this party, but I'd just like to confirm it's as much an idiom as "Bone Apple Tea".
I'm Australian & the correct phrase is "work in progress". My American friend just posted a Facebook story of a portrait she is currently drawing, hashtagging "workingprogress" & it made my brain hurt.
Never justify bad grammar by saying it's a language variation. Because it is not.

 

[Educational]

Thank you very much, everybody.
Your comments and instructions have been extremely helpful to me.
I could finally correct a long-standing grammar mistake which I was carrying on since ages.
Warmest regards from Italy.

 

[kentix]

workingprogress

You also have to allow for overlooked auto-complete/correct errors these days. My phone happily changes the sentence "I could be wrong" into "I could've wrong". (Like it just did.)