Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
whimpersnapper – 32 ghits
wimpersnapper – 16 ghits
whoopersnapper – 39 ghits
(whippersnapper – 324,000 ghits)
I find the etymology of ‘whippersnapper’ quite unconvincing – a cracker of whips or an alteration of ‘snipper-snapper’ leaves me feeling distinctly disappointed. I’m familiar with little children being called ‘ankle-snappers’ and in the garden there is a process where a bud is grafted which is called ‘whipping’ but these don’t get a mention.
Anyway, I suppose ‘whimpersnapper’ could be an eggcorn if all the whippersnappers you know whinge and whine a lot. ‘Wimpersnapper’ is a tempting source for the relatively new word, ‘wimp’ – I can’t believe it comes from Popeye’s gorging/sleeping colleague.
‘Whoopersnapper’? At least it sounds mischievously irreverent…
I never thought to increase my position in Wards Company back then but I was just a young whimpersnapper still learning to invest. ...
www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=647 … id=1238374 – 27k – Cached
Before i could drive, and was a young wimpersnapper, I used to call it the pumpkin truck cause it was orange. Now that she is all mine, i refer to her as my …
67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/archive/index.php/t-46196.html – 14k – Cached
Jimmy said,” bill, ive known you since i was a lil whoopersnapper and this is off the wall, the brothers in the lodge are all fired up about it, ...
blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=110381091 – 31k – Cached
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