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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
“Top the scales,†in the sense of manifesting a certain weight, is extremely common. I have heard it most of my life. The historical expression, however, is not “top the scales†but “tip the scales.†The picture behind the expression is that of a beam on a balance beam scale tipping to one side. The OED indicates that “tip the scales†was used as a weight metaphor as early as the 1890s.
In the examples below a straightforward substitution of “top†for “tip†seems to be at work, with “top†taking on the meaning of “exceeding a certain mark.†This seems to be an unequivocal1 eggcorn. The imagery behind the eggcorning expression may be the result of a technological update–modern scales tend to use springs instead of balance beams, displaying the measured weight on an analog or digital readout. Going past a certain number, we could say, is topping the target value.
One codicil: In most of the examples of “topping the scales†found on the web, the meaning of the idiom seems to have been switched from “having a certain weight†to “weighing the most.†People say, for example, that “when X and Y are compared, X tops the scales.†In these cases we could argue that a new idiom has been introduced rather than an old one permuted. Even in these cases, though, some sound influence from “tip the scales†may be priming the new idiom.
Eggcorn examples:
Bat article on writing site: “the smallest is the Philippine Bamboo Bat (Tylonycteris pachypus) that tops the scales at 1/20th of an ounce, is 4 centimeters long, and has a 15 centimeter wingspanâ€
Blog entry: “My mastiff is a Dogue De Bordeaux and tops the scales at 150 poundsâ€
Computer hardware review: “In comparison, Sony’s new business ultra-portable the VAIO VGNG118GNB tops the scales at 1.15 kg, while their VAIO C series consumer notebooks are a heftier 2.3 kg in the same form-factor chassis. â€
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1 “Unequivocal†overlooks the love of logomachy on this forum.Last edited by kem (2010-04-22 12:14:57)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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