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
Editor's Corner 
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