March 16, 2005

The winter eggcornucopia

The eggcorns mount up alarmingly here at Language Log Plaza. I've started to move items to Chris Waigl's eggcorn database and don't expect to provide further catalogues of examples here. (If you have contributions to make, drop them off at Chris's warehouse.) But here's an inventory of the winter crop (including genuine eggcorns, dubious ones, and examples of related types).

First, an appreciation of eggcorns from my soc.motss friend Michael Siemon, in e-mail on 2/19/05:

... The whole eggcorn thing, since you nudged us a while back, has fascinated me. I used to pass over these, with a small wince or blink of amazement/amusement, but passed on without dwelling on the possible mental processing involved. But now, they seem to be jewels (kitschy jewels, to be sure) cast before the usenet swine who do their best not to notice them. And so I now pause and allow them their voice.

Meanwhile, Rich Baldwin asked me in e-mail on 1/21/05, "Is the birth of an eggcorn an eggcoronation? Or is that taking the joke too far?" Well, I have no shame, as you can tell by the title of this posting. Let the eggcoronations begin!

1. Stuff already in the eggcorn data base. These are items from my winter list that others have already entered into the data base:

deep-seeded [ < deep-seated ]
(run the) gambit [ < gamut ]
(take for) granite [ < granted ]
hare's breath [ < hair's breadth ]
off-times [ < oft-times ]
sorted [ < sordid ]

2. Stuff I just entered. Quite an assortment of things today.

catchnap [ < catnap ]
centrifical (force) [ < centrifugal ]
centripedal (force) [ < centripetal ]
content (with) [ < contend ]
far be it for [ < far be it from ]
girdle (one's loins) [ < gird ]
granola (oil) [ < canola ]
Grumman [ < Grauman ]
languistics [ < linguistics ]
marball [ < marble ]
metal [ < medal ]
(in the) mist (of) [ < midst ]
passed [ < past ]
powerhorse [ < powerhouse ]
pre(-)fix, pre(-)fixe, pre-fixed [ < prix fixe ]
skeletal (staff) [ < skeleton ]
soak (one's wild oats) [ < sow ]

3. Still in the to-do files. Some of these might already be in the database; I haven't checked them all. A number of them present special problems of analysis that need comment. Some are old standards.

black and (red fish) [ < blackened ]
carrot on a (stick) [ < carrot and ]
chomping (at the bit) [ < champing ]
(French) crawlers [ < crullers ]
(make) due [ < do ]
flaunt [ < flout ]
flush (out) [ < flesh ]
font (of knowledge) [ < fount(ain) ]
lazy-fare [ < laissez-faire ]
mano y mano [ < mano a mano ]
(comedy of) manors [ < manners ]
mitigate (against) [ < militate ]
pack [ < pact ]
pain-staking [ < pains-taking ]
(set) perimeters [ < parameters ]
prolongered [ < prolonged ]
(on) queue [ < cue ]
same-oh same-oh [ < same-old same-old ]
verses [ < versus ]
wonderlust [ < wanderlust ]

4. Cases that are even more problematic. Here's a collection of things that might be simple misspellings, blends, classical malapropisms, or whatever.

adapt [ < adept ]
bare (responsibility) [ < bear ]
beg to pardon [ < beg (your) pardon ]
canape [ < canopy ]
coward [ < cowered ]
exult [ < exhort ]
hold (up) [ < holed ]
kick in the bucket [ < kick the bucket ]
perceptively [ < perceptibly ]
picture (of beer) [ < pitcher ]
waiver [ < waver ]

zwicky at-sign csli period stanford period edu

Posted by Arnold Zwicky at March 16, 2005 07:21 PM