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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-09-13 12:26:29

jorkel
Eggcornista
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 1456

A problem EXASPERATED by... (exacerbated)

Regarding “exasperated” in place of “exacerbated”...
...It’s probably just a malapropism of sufficiently widespread use, but I wanted to explore whether it might actually be an eggcorn, so I chose this particular construction to guarantee that all/most sightings applied…

Google counts on Sept 13, 2007
34,800 “problem exacerbated by”
124 “problem exasperated by”
Analysis by Joe Krozel

The average person is far more familiar with the word “exasperated” than “exacerbated.” (Who, after all, hasn’t heard the word “exasperated” used by a parent, a teacher, a nemesis?) And, an exacerbated problem can certainly lead those affected to be exasperated. I don’t necessarily think that “problem” is being personified, but perhaps “problem” is used as a synecdoche for those affected. (Does that distinction make sense?) If that’s the case, this just might be an eggcorn.

Examples:

What’s up in Jordan?: Shawerma bannedHatem: Salmonela is a hygiene problem, exasperated by poor cooking. At 1:54 PM, batir said… Khalaf you just cracked me up with your comments about the PM …
ajloun.blogspot.com/2007/08/shawerma-banned.html – 31k – Cached – Similar pages

Spring 1998 Michigan Today—-Master Architects/Master PlanScott Browns calls the short jaunt “a real problem exasperated by the difficulty of conceptuality.” Venturi adds, “Why, in Venice, will people walk the …
www.umich.edu/news/MT/98/Spr98/mt12s98.html – 16k – Cached – Similar pages

[PDF] University Council on TechnologyFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat – View as HTML
This is based on a recurring problem exasperated by some computers on campus. that are that become infected and for which there is no contact to appraise of …
dept.kent.edu/uct/0304/Minutes/UCTMinutes04_09_04.pdf – Similar pages

[PDF] Olympic TorchingFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat – View as HTML
modern city, a problem exasperated by uncontrolled development and illegal parking. Greece has invested heavily in firefighting aircraft. ...
viterbi.usc.edu/tools/download/?asset=/assets/046/55533.pdf&name=costaswsjoped.pdf – Similar pages

1997 Open Bikini ShootoutBelow 4500 rpm, there simply isn’t any, a problem exasperated by what we figured was a faulty EFI map that periodically stalls the bike and feels much too …
www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/1997-open … 15484.html – 33k – Cached – Similar pages

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#2 2007-09-13 22:05:54

booboo
Eggcornista
From: Austin, Tx
Registered: 2007-04-01
Posts: 179

Re: A problem EXASPERATED by... (exacerbated)

Okay, I’ll bite. Good argument, follows the classic eggcorn path. Enough that I think it overshadows the malapropism.

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