Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
Spotted in the wild:
“Harmison’s limp performance was embryonic of the whole day for England”. (http://blogs.cricinfo.com/surfer/archiv … luff_t.php)
”...the reformed Mahmudian state in its broad outline, demographic composition, and reconfigured borders was embryonic of the twentieth century Turkish Republic…” (http://www.globalautonomy.ca/global1/su … ttoman.xml)
“The paradox of Leaviss position was embryonic of nearly everyone who came to write about the subject.” (http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/expl … ostino.htm)
The use of “embryonic” feels odd; suspect an eggcorn from “emblematic of”. But it has a slightly different meaning: early sign, rather than representative or prominent sign (although at least two of these embryonic things could also class as emblematic).
Offline