cell-phone » self-phone
Spotted in the wild:
- You didn’t really understand my question as it was a short message from my self-phone where i can’t write with the full sentences. (Filmtracks.com comment, Mar. 14, 2002)
- I got a call on my self-phone early this morning, waking me up. (Fiber Raven Soiree, Aug. 27, 2004)
- Now, somebody is constantly calling on my self phone. (Right Ways, Mar. 12th, 2006)
- He was chatting on his self phone (probably with a House colleauge or staffer) while impressively continuing to drive very carefully. (The Wind Beneath the Right Wing, Mar. 17, 2006)
- If you have been arrested, find a moment when policemen don’t pay attention to you and hide your self-phone to boot or to sock, having turned off ringing tones beforehand. (gipfelsoli-l, May 14, 2006)
Analyzed or reported by:
- Jeanette Winterson (The Times, May 13, 2006)
- Ken Lakritz (Eggcorn Forum, Mar. 14, 2006)
Jeanette Winterson writes:
An Italian friend of mine, who learnt her English in America, calls her mobile her “self-phone”. Presumably she has heard it called a cell phone, but never seen the words written down — and it is a phone you use yourself . . .
An unsurprising reanalysis, since “cell-phone” and “self-phone” would both be pronounced as /sɛlfoʊn/ in rapid conversation.
1
Commentary by pat schwieterman , 2006/05/20 at 5:02 am
A truly excellent eggcorn. However, Ken Lakritz beat Jeanette Winterson to it by some months: he posted this in Contribute — right here on this website! — back on March 14th, 2006. I’m surprised that the earlier post was overlooked.
2
Commentary by Ben Zimmer , 2006/05/20 at 6:20 am
Thanks, Pat — I missed that in the forum. I’ve given Ken due credit.
3
Commentary by J Michael Mollohan , 2006/08/18 at 7:31 pm
I like this usgae better than the correct one. A lot of self-phone users are pretty darn sell fish.