Eggcorn Forum

Hard to beat “debaucle” as an eggcorn. “Debuckle” is also stands in place of “debacle.” See samples below. One might speculate that Clinton-Lewinsky debacle gave legs to this eggcorn.

“Debacle” has an interesting history. From the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day:

“Debacle” comes from the French noun “débâcle,” which comes from the verb “débâcler,” meaning “to clear,” “to unbolt,” or “to unbar.” That verb is from Middle French “desbacler,” which joined the prefix “des-” (equivalent to our “de-,” meaning “to do the opposite of”) with the verb “bacler” (“to block”). In its original uses, “debacle” meant a breaking up of ice, or the rush of ice or water that follows such an occurrence.

The pronunciation of the word is a puzzle. I say “de-BAHK-uhl” now, but I often hear “de-BACK-uhl” and may even have uttered it myself in my salad days. Perhaps this is a NA affectation. The Merriam Webster dictionary recognizes a third pronunciation which I have never heard. Where in the world do English speakers say DE-bah-kul?

Examples of “debuckle:”

Soccer discussion on Ghanese web site: “Baffoe should know because he suffered the Abedi and Yeboah debuckle first hand. This is precisely what killed Ghana back then, we had great talent but lacked unity.”

Discussion about women’s wrestling from UK site: “So since the debuckle of MJ losing the title back McCool, she’s returned to SmackDown more or less fully fit”

Political discussion on a radio site: “If everyone was as narrow minded as you, there would be no republican party after the mccarthy debuckle. ”