Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Today is Boxing Day in Britain and some of the present and former countries of the Commonwealth. The St, Stephen’s Day holiday came to be called “Boxing Day†because of the gift boxes that were traditionally given to servants and the poor on this day (for other, less likely, explanations, see http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl … tml?cat=74).
At a Christmas dinner yesterday we were explaining to a friend from Argentina how December 26 came to be called “Boxing Day.†He said, “Oh, I thought it was because the day was boxed between Christmas and New Years.â€
His response made me wonder how many other hidden acorns might live in the archaic phrase “Boxing Day.†Perhaps a day of quarreling and boxing with family? (In this regard listen to Elvis Costello’s wonderful “St. Stephen’s Day Murders at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz7Oc4CwkIQ). A day to return what was boxed for Christmas? A day of confusion (getting boxed up)? A day of running around (boxing the compass)? A day to notice the evergreen boxwood poking above the snow? A day of eating boxed leftovers from Christmas?
Last edited by kem (2008-12-26 13:19:31)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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I coined the term “stealth eggcorns” for this type of thing, but others have their own favorite terms for it. Stealth eggcorns can sometimes come out from hiding when modifications are possible. See, for instance, my comments on the post about “playing faster and looser”—the ‘er modification making it clear that the original was misinterpreted.
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