Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
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
Chased metal is worked, engraved or embossed. This use of the word “chase” has nothing to do with pursuit, and comes from quite distinct roots in Latin. When the noble metals (gold and silver in particular) are worked, some have understood the phrase to refers either to purity or modesty of design, or the purity of the metal itself. “Chaste silver” is often reinforced as “very chaste silver”. “Chaste gold” often refers to “pure gold”; this makes the identification of pure eggcorns a bit difficult in this case.
Chaste << chased is the presto reverso of chased << chaste described by Pat (link). See also cut to the chaste.
Antiques magazine, 2007:
There, I saw in the booth of the Johnsons of Hadley, Massachusetts, a beautiful and very chaste silver coffeepot
(http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m … n27424121/)
Cooperative society news, 1875:
After partaking of a substantial dinner, Mr Paton of the Paisley Provident Society presented Mr Boa with a very chaste silver-mounted dressing-case and a purse containing 58 sovereigns.
(http://www2.iisg.nl/lists/archives/lab0 … ?sort=date)
Chaste gold where chased was wanted:
Part of an estate sale, New Zealand, 1870:
An Excellent Gold Watch and Chaste Gold Watch (Ladies)
(http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ .... impossible to complete link because it confuses PunBB and the rest is cut off)
Chaste gold where purity is invoked:
Gold purity tester:
Chaste gold will give precisely 0 volts, impure gold or other metals will give a measurable voltage, different for each metal. ..
(http://lighting-electrical.org/Testers/ … c-Testers/)
Offline
This morning I was reading Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick, and ran into an instance of Burred’s reshaping:
“Would you like to see a collection of chaste and ornate snuffboxes?” Alys inquired. “Felix has a terribly fine collection. All antiques, in gold, silver, alloys, with cameo engravings, hunting scenes—no?”
[Page 794 in Five Novels of the 1960s and 70s in the Library of America series.]
I’m pretty sure this is a slip rather than a sly bit of humor, but one of Felix’s snuffboxes does turn out to be fairly unchaste—removing its false bottom reveals a 200-year-old pornographic picture.
Offline