A320 FLC MISINTERP CLRNC OF 'HOLD SHORT' AS 'POSITION AND HOLD.

Narrative

PUSHED BACK FROM GATE AT DTW AND GIVEN TAXI CLRNC TO RWY 22L (SHORT TAXI). FA'S RPT READY; CHKLISTS ABOUT DONE WHEN TWR CALLS AND ASKS IF WE'RE READY TO GO AS WE APCH RWY 22L. FO ANSWERS YES; AND TWR SAYS; DC-10 ON 3 MILE FINAL; TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. ALL CHKLISTS DONE; AND AS WERE HURRYING ONTO RWY (THE CTLR'S TONE WAS HURRYING THE CTLR SAYS; 'ACR X ARE YOU HOLDING SHORT?' I HAD SEEN THE OTHER ACFT'S LNDG LIGHT IN THE DISTANCE BEFORE I TOOK THE RWY; AND HEARD THE FO ACKNOWLEDGE 'POSITION AND HOLD;' SO I WAS ASTONISHED BUT CONTINUED ACROSS THE RWY TO TXWY Z TO CLR. FO AND I WERE SURE WE WERE CLRED INTO POSITION; AND HOLD; BUT CTLR SAID HE TOLD US TO HOLD SHORT. ACFT ON FINAL LANDED NORMAL. I HAVE NOT HEARD THE TWR TAPE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 522408: SOMETIMES THE DTW CTLRS TALK FAST AND USE NON STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY. THEREFORE IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL TO HEAR THE CTLR SAY 'POSITION AND HOLD.' IT MAY ALSO HAVE LED US DOWN THE PATH BY ASKING IF WE WERE READY AS WE APCHED THE RWY; LEADING US TO BELIEVE WE WERE GOING RIGHT OUT. THE THING THAT BOTHERS ME MOST IS 2 PLTS WERE CERTAIN THEY HEARD THE CLRNC AND WE WERE OBVIOUSLY WRONG. IF BOTH PLTS CAN MIS-HEAR A COM THEN WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH OUR COM SYSTEM. I SPENT A NUMBER OF YRS AS AN ATC AND ALWAYS REQUEST VERIFICATION OF A CLRNC; THIS TIME THOUGH; WE WERE SURE OF WHAT WE HEARD. PERHAPS; IN RETROSPECT; IT WAS OUR EXPECTATION.