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
(The Google counts for the eggcorn usage of “blazed” are difficult to extract from the legitimate usages, so I’ll have to skip that for now).
Analysis by Joe Krozel
One common meaning of “blazon” is “display,” and it’s not unexpected that some might replace “blazoned” with “blazed.” There are two possible eggcorn imageries to consider here. The first is the notion of something being burnt into place to create a permanent display. The second is the notion of something having the visual characteristic of a blaze—i.e., a display that couldn’t possibly be missed. Below, I present an example of each.
(In passing I’ll also mention the reverse substitution—where “blazon” replaces “blaze”—as in the expression “blazon a trail,” which I would consider a malapropism).
Examples:
Amazon.com: Reviews for Letters: Music: Jimmy Webb
These songs are blazed on my brain and in my heart from the time I was 15. It is a joy to FINALLY see that this album and “Words and Music” have been issued …
www.amazon.com/Letters-Jimmy-Webb/dp/customer-re… – 94k – Similar pages
http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Jimmy-Web … B000E112OS
Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Flash Gordon at Epinions….
The image of Freddie Mercury with a lightening symbol and the words Flash blazed on his T-shirt will always be in my mind when I watch this film. ...
www.epinions.com/mvie-review-EE1-4BA16C56-3A5BAA… – 59k – Similar pages
Offline
I would also add that “blazon” sounds like “blaze on”, and that “blazed on” might sound more natural to some than “blazoned on”—given people’s tendency to remove a syllable that sounds a bit redundant with another syllable nearby.
A couple more examples for good measure…
Parry Game Preserve
... on the flight suit zip, and the Adventure Team logo proudly blazed on his chest, kids and collectors alike can find something to enjoy and appreciate. ...
www.parrygamepreserve.com/archives/?m=8&y=2007 – 68k – Similar pages
http://www.parrygamepreserve.com/archives/?m=8&y=2007
Sabledrake Magazine – A King for Hothar
The golden eagle blazed on his shield, and eagle’s wings angled in gold from the sides of his helm. He had the bearing of a king and fought with fierce …
www.sabledrake.com/2000a/hothar_3.htm – 82k – Similar pages
Last edited by jorkel (2007-10-27 13:50:11)
Offline
Excellent, Joe. I found a few under search term “name blazed across”- 144 ghits – that back up your analysis:
She favors expressions like “at this point in time” and characterizes Peck – whose “name blazed across the marquees of theaters from sea to shining sea” ...
www.nysun.com/article/6290
to do most of the marketing for us and so keep making shirts with there stupid name blazed across the front. How lame is it that this society bases …
youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=17 – 48k
Next morning, when Louis’s name “blazed across the front page of every newspaper,†the clerk and manager of the Victoria Hotel came to the Oxford to …
books.google.com/books?isbn=0822549557…
One interesting thing from this search was the occasional tie-in to meteor/comet imagery:
Her name blazed across fashion pages like a meteor. Sally’s call from Minneapolis came on the morning of March 4, 1944. “You’re a poppa again. ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=0743269020…
Bruce Lee blazed across movie screens with charisma and lightning speed, introducing martial arts … Honored with Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993. ...
www.biography.com/deathiversary/bruce_lee/brucelee.jsp – 25k
Maybe the words all having such dramatic flair contributes to the ease of eggcorning.
Offline