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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Continuing a review of some eggcorn-like mistakes in wade’s quizzes (http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=390)...
A know-nothing knows nothing about something. “No-nothing” is not a recognized noun. If it were, a no-nothing would probably be a cipher, a human zero. Since a no-nothing knows nothing, “no-nothing,” on the principle that the greater implies the lesser, could serve as a replacement in most contexts where “know-nothing” appears.
Ecce verbum:
Blog on Los Angeles Times: “Sen. Joe Lieberman was trying to portray presidential contender Barack Obama as a no-nothing on Iraq. ” (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylon … t-ano.html)
Comment on an article on Silicon Alley Insider: “Randy is a no nothing, and yet AGAIN they are missing their numbers!!!” (http://tinyurl.com/5tvqdq)
Comment on a political article: “You are either a no nothing nitwit or a no nothing supporter of one of the other candidates.” (http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2007/05/ … sappo.html)
Comment on a Computerworld article: “Another thing, I don’t want a no nothing TSA agent poking around my computer” (http://www.computerworld.com/comments/node/9079738)
Last edited by kem (2008-07-25 14:17:43)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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a no-nothing would probably be a cipher, a human zero.
A know-nothing is one whose knowledge is nilch, a no-nothing would be the ultimate light-weight, a total nonentity. Works for me!
Should show up in contexts where knowledge is not denied: Something like “Even though he knows a lot about the state of affairs in the middle-east, X is a no-nothing when it comes to shaping government foreign policy.”
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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I’m resurrecting this thread simply because I’ve just stumbled on this eggcorn for the first time, and wanted to share my example with those others who also haven’t seen this one before: “Stephen Metcalf is a cultural critic and a real no-nothing with an expansive vocabulary to mask the superficiality of his writing.” (from a comment on an Internet essay). It reminds me of the Beatles tune “Nowhere Man”.
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