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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2010-05-15 15:47:02

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2714
Website

alter << altar

Now, during the final moments of her wedding, Ken realizes he should be the one standing next to her at the alter. He wishes that he could …

This is a rather common error, and is pretty clearly standard for some, especially in the context of marriage. It might have some eggcornosity if perpetrators think of it as the place where one’s destiny (and/or name, certainly status) is (it used to be rather irrevocably) altered. But of course the mistake occurs in many contexts besides the marriage one, where the connection is likely to be even more far-fetched. Though even there … is it the place where one pleads with his gods to get them to alter their opinion?
.
Simple substitution of the extremely common er noun ending for the rare ar is a more likely explanation.

Last edited by DavidTuggy (2010-05-15 15:49:56)


*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 .)

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#2 2013-09-17 03:50:03

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2714
Website

Re: alter << altar

Blog correspondent:

The church camp that I went to had an alter call the last night, and every summer I would go up there, again and again.

Here the altering can easily be seen as the whole point of the call: to get people to change their ways (which is what repentance is supposed to be all about, isn’t it?)


*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 .)

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