Eggcorn Forum

Discussions about eggcorns and related topics

You are not logged in.

Announcement

Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to if you wish to register.

The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.

Thanks for your understanding.

Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2009-06-19 20:02:39

vexact
Member
Registered: 2009-06-19
Posts: 30

Underminded

My project was underminded by my rival.

Offline

 

#2 2009-06-19 20:49:29

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2752
Website

Re: Underminded

My favorite was a friend confessing, with a devilish grin, that he was devious and underminded. I understood him to be claiming that he was wily but stupid.
.
It’s a cute malaprop, but how does underminding work? Is it just the idea that the intellect (=mind) is involved in most kinds of undermining these days that makes sense? What’s the “under” doing? I don’t make good enough sense of this to see it as a good eggcorn. Also—is it standard for someone who construes it in such a sensible way?
.
Hey, welcome, vexact.


*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 .)

Online

 

#3 2009-06-20 16:06:22

burred
Eggcornista
From: Montreal
Registered: 2008-03-17
Posts: 1112

Re: Underminded

See also undermined/undermind/underminded and a series of posts on linguistlist, starting here, ending here

Finally, klakritz apparently posted something on undermine -> undermind in the olden section, but my searches don’t pick it up.

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
PunBB is © 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson
Individual posters retain the copyright to their posts.

RSS feeds: active topicsall new posts