Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
An interesting one I found today in a movie review. The original expression, mumbo jumbo, is sort of an eggcorn in itself: it developed from an African ‘juju’ goddess called Mama Dyambo.
For the most part, this is a pretty solid thriller that combines Government mumble jumble with some pretty exciting action sequences.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009225-body_of_lies/#
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This is one of the ones that could very easily be a joke for many users—I would use it that way. But with 36K ghits it’s pretty certain that it is standard for some users. As has been noted before, what begins as a joke may become an eggcorn for those who hear the joke.
There are several interesting fillips to it: the acorn makes sense precisely because it does not make sense. Mumbo and Jumbo are used not for their meaning but for their lack of it. But the imagery of the eggcorn is clear because it means un-clarity; the lack of clear communication that ensues when you mumble your words or jumble them.
The iconic nature of mumble/mumbo (you can hardly pronounce it without doing it) is an added bonus. And the sound-symbolic -umble (rumble/crumble/stumble/bumble/tumble/fumble/grumble) gets repeated twice.
I like it! Nice find.
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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The OED editors seem hesitantly to agree. Here’s their etymology for mumble-jumble:
[< MUMBLE v. + JUMBLE v., perhaps after MUMBO-JUMBO n.]
In any case, they list occurrences dating back to 1834 (the first from a Captain Frederick Marryat novel, for all you old salts out there).
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Interesting that the OED considers “mumble jumble” a legitimate variant on “mumbo jumbo.” But I note it doesn’t list the hybrid form “mumbo jumble” which occurs from time to time. Sometimes it’s a deliberate pun, but not always.
“Next Boy15 sang an original mumbo jumble of words”
http://myrtlemae.blogspot.com/
“I suggest their time would be better utilised remembering the many who sacrificed their lives for us instead of concerning themselves with political mumbo-jumble.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourvie … pride.html
“But nevermind all that mumbo jumble.”
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/gallery/ … ria-pratt/
Then there’s the opposite form: “mumble jumbo.”
“A soldier in Iraq took a full clip of 7.62mm rounds to the head and survived (the helmet didn’t), most helmets however do not stop bullets (even though the producers wow the military audience with alot of science mumble jumbo)”
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/unions/fo … 08&page=28
“Forget the techno mumble jumbo of preempted this and supercached that.”
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/locutus/loc … ista-20798
“people hire based on ability, if an employer hires you based on ethnicity and all that mumble jumbo obviously they aren’t the right place to work for”
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/show … 999&page=4
Paul Brians
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