Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
Said by a secretary in my office today, where some lawyers were deposing one of my boss’s patients.
via google:
Lots of people e-mailed me about Orlando federal judge Gregory Presnell’s written order to two bickering civil lawyers that they resolve where to take a disposition by meeting at the courthouse and playing a game of “rock, paper, scissors.”
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/06/09/305/45461
More pleasant duties would be to perform marriages, take a disposition regarding loss or theft that could substitute as a sworn statement in court, and two judges sitting together could haul before them and fine “a single woman with child.”
http://home.southwind.net/~crowther/Dibrell/CLD.html
My own feeling is this is much stronger eggcorn contender than my previous salvo with “infinity” for “affinity.” What say ye, eggcornologists?
“Let’s not get bogged down in semantics.”—Homer Simpson to Gary Coleman
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My first impression is that this is a malapropism. I tend not to lump mistaken prefixes in with the eggcorns.
On the other hand, you might take more time explaining the imagery if you really think this might be an eggcorn. Your infinity/affinity explanation almost put it over the top for me. Perhaps there’s an image associated with the “disposal” of stored up information.
Last edited by jorkel (2008-04-29 14:29:07)
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Alright, I’ll bite:
My thinking is that a lawyer might take a disposition to find out where he or the other side stands—what’s the other lawyer’s disposition? Similarly, we’d need to know the witnesses’ disposition, so we do a disposition. Or yeah, as you said, jorkel: your information gets “disposed” into some kind of legal refuse bin.
Alright, so maybe not as strong a contender as I’d thought. But I suppose (and maybe I’ll save this speech for a soapbox in another forum) I feel that, while not necessarily a supporter of a “one drop” theory of eggcornicity, I’d espouse the notion that if it’s arguably an eggcorn, it should get the benefit of the doubt and be listed as such, and further debate can ensue as to whether it’s a good eggcorn or not.
“Let’s not get bogged down in semantics.”—Homer Simpson to Gary Coleman
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I think I’m starting to see the imagery now. The statement taken from the witness is a reflection of his disposition (or the disposition of others). Sure, that might work.
By the way, no one knows when eggcorn suggestions will make it into the database. There’s been a big backlog for about two years now. Perhaps the project lost steam; None of us visitors really know.
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jorkel wrote:
By the way, no one knows when eggcorn suggestions will make it into the database. There’s been a big backlog for about two years now. Perhaps the project lost steam; None of us visitors really know.
I had wondered, and was afraid to ask. Thanks for the info!
“Let’s not get bogged down in semantics.”—Homer Simpson to Gary Coleman
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