It’s Friday, so let’s have some fun. A faithful reader and fellow language lover, Samuel Dean, sent this topic to me several weeks ago. First, a brief definition and history of eggcorns, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn:
In linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker’s dialect. The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original, but plausible in the same context, such as "old-timers’ disease" for "Alzheimer’s disease…"
…the term eggcorn was coined by professor of linguistics Geoffrey Pullum in September 2003, in response to an article by Mark Liberman on the website Language Log, a blog for linguists. Liberman discussed the case of a woman who substitutes the phrase egg corn for the word acorn, arguing that the precise phenomenon lacked a name; Pullum suggested using "eggcorn" itself.
Here are a few examples of eggcorns, from the Eggcorn Database (http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/2/eggcorn/):
fetal » feeble
Chiefly in: (curled up) in the feeble position
Spotted in the wild:
I was impressed. He was looking quite happy for someone who spent the last night sleeping in the feeble position. (fanfiction.net, July 26, 2009)
dog-eat-dog » doggy-dog
Chiefly in: doggy-dog world
Spotted in the wild:
the [sic] true matter is: it’s a doggy dog world out there and they’re all in it for the money.
cruller » crawler
Chiefly in: French crawler
Spotted in the wild:
A local doughnut shop had a sign advertising “French crawlers”. [sic] (Wilson in ADS-L)
ghost » goat
Chiefly in: give up the goat
Spotted in the wild:
§ Luckily our old Toyota just got us through and then gave up the goat. (ABC Rural, SA Country Hour, Jan. 11, 2006)
§ Stay calm, collected, and don’t give up the goat. (Paul Davidson, Ten Rules for Making Rules, Apr. 16, 2006)
Have a great weekend, and welcome to all of you new readers!
Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor
Symitar, A Jack Henry Company
8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123
My favorite “eggcorn” is when people substitute “granite” for “granted” as in, “I took it for granite you would finish the project on time.”
By: David Reynolds on June 8, 2012
at 9:16 am
We got into a big discussion in the office a while back re: wheel barrel vs. wheel barrow. Does that look like a barrel to you?
By: Valerie M. on June 8, 2012
at 10:32 am
[…] · https://episystechpubs.com/2012/06/08/editors-corner-eggcorns/ […]
By: Editor’s Corner: As promised, malapropisms | Editor's Corner on March 30, 2015
at 7:45 am