well, you do have something of a point there, I've
seen manacker and others (on both sides) asserting the
opposite of what the
graphs say.
The phrase «steep learning curve» means to describe a particular plot on a
graph where the x axis measures time and the y axis measures the degree of learning acquired; in such a setup, a steep curve means that a lot of learning takes place rapidly, exactly
opposite to the meaning that most people give it, they presumably
seeing it in the context of climbing, where steepness is difficult and is conquered only slowly.