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Chris -- 2018-04-11
To shirk your duty is to evade it; shrinking your duty seems like a reasonable way of achieving the same goal. I think there’s probably a little interference here from the expression “to shrink from one’s duty.†In a quick check, I didn’t find any examples of somebody who “shrank†their duty, so there’s a possibility that some instances of this reshaping are the result of the accidental omission of the word “from.†Still, there are a reasonable number of them out there if you check shrink/shrinks/shrinking in combination with the various pronouns. Examples:
He was a man of settled convictions of right and wrong and even in the face of death did not shrink his duty.
http://www.mcusa-archives.org/MennObits/25/mar1925.html
IN a world where too many children are brought up by the TV and the PlayStation in households where mum and dad seem to imitate their political masters by abandoning any discernible moral code, and shrink their duty to teach their offspring personal responsibility and self discipline, it should come as no surprise that air gun vandalism is worsening (Daily Post, Jan 15).
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/discussion/r … -18490193/
Garnet/Dagger is not a simpering and delicate princess, but a determined young woman who may be green but never shrinks her duty.
http://beauregard.diaryland.com/nirvana.html
Military service is viewed very positively and although it is compulsory, Israeli youth look forward to their military service and to do not try to shrink their duty.
http://www.ianys.utas.edu.au/proceeding … app_2.html
In the early 1800s the current Dedelia
Ferdinand the Doctortried by cruel experiments to shrink his duty and just find a cure to the zombie plague.
http://www.krikkit.dk/projects/cliffhanger/cliff5h.html
to pretend or fake illness in order to shrink one’s duty to avoid work
http://quizlet.com/flashcards/898380/
[This was provided as the definition of “Malinger†on the “Flashcards: wordmaster†section of the Quizlet .com site.]
It turns out that the etymology of “to shirk†is unclear. The OED folks think it might come from the German word schurke – “parasite, ‘sponge’†– which is what the noun “shirk†meant in its earliest occurrences. About the same time that the noun “shirk†appeared, a noun “shark†showed up with precisely the same meaning. In the etymological section for that latter word, the OED editors have this to say:
It is noteworthy that SHIRK occurs with the same meaning frequently from 1639 down to the beginning of the 18th c., and that the G. schurke (now in wider sense, scoundrel, villain) had in the 16th c. precisely the same sense. Words with meanings of this character were c 1600 often adopted from Ger., and it is not unlikely that this word represents an adoption of G. schurke (earlier schurk, schorck), assimilated in form to SHARK n.1, of which it seems often to have been felt as a figurative use.
So their sense is that “shark†as “penniless parasite†is essentially a “folk etymology†of the German word.
Last edited by patschwieterman (2009-06-28 00:13:15)
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This one strikes me as most likely visual rather than aural: shrink and shirk look a lot more alike than they sound alike.
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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Possibly another BFS here, with “shrink,” “shirk,” “skirt,” “short,” “shark” and perhaps “sharp.” If so, some of our sound expectations would be reduced. I like Pat’s suggestion that the blend between “shrink from duty” and “shirk duty” greases the interchangeability of “shrink” and “shirk.”
The web also has numerous examples of “skirt your/his/her/their duty.” “Skirt” for “shirk” would also be an eggcorn. A roundtrip eggcorn in fact-lots of examples of “shirk the issue” in contexts where we would expect “skirt the issue.”
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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The visual comes back with a oral vengeance in shriek from duty.
Genealogy records:
Never once did he shriek from duty keeping in touch with his vow for honor.
(http://www.carthagetexas.com/Center/gen … cherry.htm)
Bollywood News:
The punch line of Gabbar, ‘Jo Dar Gaya Samjho Mar Gaya, is a warning for sissies that in the war fear does not have a place, if deliverance has to be done, it has to be done, one cannot shriek his responsibilities.
(http://www.bharatwaves.com/news/Managem … -3598.html)
Malaysian politics:
at least DSAI knows the reason for his going to Indonesia. It’s not for fun or to shriek his responsibilities as chief of the Opposition or as MP
(http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2008/09/05/ … indonesia/)
Exegesis:
Rama was neither confused nor deluded, as was Arjuna. He had a clear perspective of his deeds and their consequecences. He did not shriek from his responsibilities; instead, he acted with a sense of great responsibility.
(http://ssubbanna.sulekha.com/blog/post/ … became.htm)
Motivating teens:
Parents, guardians and interest groups can support this networking through facilitation and by pooling resources to hire professionals to work with this group, should they (the parents) find themselves deficient in fulfilling certain roles (not that the parents and guardians will shriek their responsibilities and obligations, but that they will have professional help to enhance what they are already doing).
(http://www.articlesbase.com/coaching-ar … 90692.html)
Last edited by burred (2009-06-29 01:55:39)
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