BS: Eggcorns

Subject: BS: Eggcorns
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 10:56 AM

I just learned a new word—eggcorn—that I expect to use a lot. 'Eggcorn' is to language in general what 'mondegreen' is to lyrics. It stems from someone's misspelling (and probably mispronunciation and misunderstanding) of 'acorn'—just as 'Lady Mondegreen' was a mistake for 'laid him on the green'.

'Eggcorn' was coined as a general term for this type of mistaken usage by the people who write the blog Language Log. Now the eggcorn has its own web site: The Eggcorn Database.

Happy browsing!

Of course, you can post your favorite eggcorns here.

I'll start with 'copywrite' for 'copyright'.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: number 6
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 11:05 AM

An eggcorn is the seed you plant to grow an eggplant.

is it not ??

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: MMario
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 11:15 AM

I thought an eggcorn was like a unicorn - but with an oval-shaped horn instead of a spiral.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 11:34 AM

I thought Eggcorn was the maiden name of Phil Ochs' little mother. You know, "Mighty Ochs from tiny Eggcorns grow."

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 11:35 AM

Forgot to mention this article Like a Bowl in a China Shop, in the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is where I first encountered the term 'eggcorn'.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 12:13 PM

As they say, "This really peaks my interest!"

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 01:12 PM

I wrote a song about it, but people found a mound of green in it.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Homeless
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 01:18 PM

wa-la

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 01:28 PM

He-he-he.... a line of guys, all in a row, I guess.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 01:42 PM

for weaving on windy days?

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 02:03 PM

So "malaprop" doesn't cover it? Or these folks just aren't up on their classics?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 02:42 PM

Well, it's not exactly a malaprop. The intended ward is used and it's quiet clothes, but it's not quite up to Mrs. Malaprop's level. AND they often seen to be more than one ward.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: MMario
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 02:54 PM

a malaprop as I understand would be something like 'I am prostitute with grief" when "I am prostrate with grief" is meant.   

An eggcorn might be more along the lines of "I found a web sight about eggcorns." or even "I found a web cite about eggcorns" When what was meant was "website"

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Amos
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 02:58 PM

I scanned through a few pages of those eggcorns. I dunno whether to laugh or cry!! The sheer ignorance is mind-boggling, but the occasional spark of poetic Hobson-Jobsoning is a delight!!

Lip-singing floorlessly, beyond approach,


Amos

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:16 PM

Yes, I know they're not exact, but it's close. I was casting around for the real word that no doubt already exists that I just can't remember right now.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:23 PM

In scholarly circles I think it could be misprision, but that isn't widely understood or used outside of academia. Emphasis on "misunderstanding."

The other use, in legal circles, has to do with a crime. This is a word that has bifurcated, I think. The literary use is more subtle than the legal use.

From Bartleby: ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old French mesprison, from mespris, past participle of mesprendre, to make a mistake : mes-, wrongly; see mis–1 + prendre, to take, seize (from Latin prehendere, prndere; see ghend- in Appendix I).

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:24 PM

There's a word that means 'inability to remember the word you wanted' but I can't remember it right now....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:25 PM

I keep hitting send too soon.

The misunderstanding aspect contributes to the misuse of the simlar word, thus the misprision. But maybe it's all just misspelling and the spell checkers substitute the wrong right words.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Kaleea
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:33 PM

Eye seam to find thees awl ironical, scents hear inn the Ewess Eh, wee half watt our spose too bee sum ove thee gratest skools inn thee whirled!

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:37 PM

I have yet to search the Eggcorn database for this, but I not infrequently on Mudcat see something like the following:

"The ship raised her sails and got under weigh."

Of course "under way" is the expression, and "way" has to do with motion. "Way enough" means at least that amount of motion (and probably not much more) necessary to maintain the power to steer the ship.
The mistaken speaker or writer has probably been led astray by the expression, "to weigh anchor", which I suppose one must do before one can either get way enough or get under way.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 05:27 PM

I heard a professional commentator on the radio say "wrecked havoc" one day....I found his name and emailed him, suggesting 'wreaked' might have been what he meant...to his credit, he replied with mea culpas and swore he'd program his head not to do that in the future.

People who read a lot encounter words 'usually' spelled correctly. Those who never cared much for reading hear these phrases and adopt them with little concern for whether the word makes sense, or where it came from.....but when posting or blogging online, there's even less excuse, given the wide range of free dictionaries, spell checkers and thesauri. (Yes, sometimes wrong words have real spellings in other contexts, like 'wrecked'... but SOME progress is better than none).

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bert
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 06:55 PM

LOL Squeaks, now what is that word?

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Helen
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 09:24 PM

Softwear - on a sign on the door of the computer roomsa at a post-school vocational college where I was teaching.

Could of, should of - how many times have I seen that written in student assignments, to reflect the way people here in Oz often say "could have", "should have" etc? (This one really makes me aware of the decline in reading.)

An answer to one of the trivia questions I run every week -
Q: What is the name of monsters with the head and trunk of a woman and the tail, wings, and talons of a bird
A: herpes

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 10:11 PM

It ate my post!!!!

They'er is where their putting there stuff!!!! ARRGGGHHHH!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Mo the caller
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 02:43 PM

So how many times must I say "should of" before it gets into the dictionary as current (currant?) usage.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 04:19 PM

just saw in a in a usenet post about downloading files: "in tact" as two words..this is 4-5 times I have seen this stupidity recently.

What do people THINK they are saying? Is there any way I can tell them 'tactfully'?

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 04:42 PM

Still can't remember and now I can't find the book it was in!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 05:48 PM

I think my all-time favorite was my ex-wif'e "prima facially"
Though I must admit that things like "Anchors Away" have grown so common that I tend to ignore them.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 06:03 PM

*grin*...I think there SHOULD be a use for "prima facially"...maybe a contest to define its use.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 08:15 PM

I think I have actually seen books that had "forwards" rather than "forewords". Darned if I can remember which ones they were.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 08:29 PM

there may be books with an appendix, rather than an appendex...but that only reminds me how bad it's getting!

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 08:37 AM

Uh, Bill D, I have consulted a couple of on-line dictionaries and I don't find "appendex". Did you mean it the other way round?

If there ARE books with "appendex" then THAT may be an actual eggcorn. I suppose the spelling is influenced by analogy with "index."

By the way, the editors have a rather strict idea of the definition of "eggcorn." Not every mistaken homonym substitution is an eggcorn. They specifically say that confusing "their" with "they're" or "there" is not an eggcorn; it's just a mistake. An eggcorn is based on (as I understand it) what is known as "folk etymology." The speaker or writer thinks "acorn" is derived from "egg" + "corn", and if he sees it spelled "acorn" he is likely to think THAT is a mistake, and to defend his spelling based on false (but somewhat reasonable) etymology.

In short, an eggcorn has to sound reasonable to the writer/speaker, and possibly to the reader/hearer; that's how it spreads. It is not simply an unthinking mistake.

Subject: RE: BS: Eggcorns
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 06 - 10:24 AM

Also, an eggcorn is not deliberate wordplay. That's a hard thing to judge sometimes, especially at Mudcat, where a lot of people deliberately use dialect, puns, and other facetious spellings. I even do it myself sometimes. When I sent a link to The Eggcorn Database to an editor I know, I called it a "web cite." I hope he got the joke.