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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2008-09-30 09:17:19

Brooksie99
Member
From: Ann Arbor, MI
Registered: 2007-10-27
Posts: 27

spare of the moment < spur of the moment

I read this in the wild used in an e-mail correspondence “It was a spare of the moment decision”. There are over 16,000 ghits for “spare”. I see the imagery there as people confusing having a spare moment to mull something over vs. making a decision in haste as “spur”. I’m not sure; however, if there is enough semantic connection between the words to make it a true eggcorn. Any other thoughts?

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#2 2008-09-30 10:00:15

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2714
Website

Re: spare of the moment < spur of the moment

Actually the connection with “spur” isn’t totally obvious: I suppose the moment is thought of as spurring a hasty decision. Maybe it just lies there with its spur sticking up, and one’s decision rests on that spur?

Anyhow, I get the new imagery pretty well from several angles. E.g. you haven’t a moment to spare/any time to spare, the moment won’t spare you time to decide or act wisely, because of the moment you are sparing in the amount of thought you dedicate to the issue.

For me it’s a good one.

Last edited by DavidTuggy (2008-09-30 11:29:31)


*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .

(Possible Corollary: it is, and we are .)

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