I haven't been on the boards for a while and tuned into this discussion. (I always loved the grammar discussions.)
This, however, isn't about grammar at all. It's about Usage and idioms and geography and maybe even a mondegreen (don't know how to spell that one.
Probably, the original expression was another think coming ..that's usage...but with the separation of land and sea, people began to hear and therefore use another thing coming. That's the mondegreen part (to be explained shortly.)
Both are grammatically correct, it's just a matter of usage and where you live and who your parents were and if you had a teacher who would correct you everytime you used the form that he/she wasn't used to.
Mondegreens are when we think we hear something that isn't what is being said.
e.g. The child who repeats the Lord's Prayer and says Hallowe'en be thy name or those who sing Bob Dylan's song The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind .
And that's it for now. Back to hiding out.
gerry
