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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2010-12-31 18:57:21

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

In this and the next two posts I have listed the eggcorn candidates from our 2010 posts. The candidates have the form “eggcorn << acorn.” The original proposer is given after the vertical bar ( | ) and the entries are hot links to the relevant thread. If you find any errors or omissions, let me know and I’ll correct them in situ. I didn’t have the energy to check every link and I’m not an accurate typist.

This year we started fresh or added to some 850 threads. If the Web Fairy had paid us a penny a word for what we added to the web in our approximately 2500 posts during 2010, we would have banked about $5000. Out of these posts I have gleaned more than 880 candidates, a 10% increase over last year’s record clutch of 800 candidates.

The names of about fifty contributors show up in the lists below. David B, I see, provided us with a full third of the candidates. The next third were shared more or less equally by Ken, Peter, and me. Pat, Juan, David T, and Joe divided up the next 20%. Dixon and fpberger accounted for about 3%. About a seventh of the candidates, it would thus appear, were provided by people who made only a few posts.

Which of these are the best eggcorns? Make your “best of the year” selections and tell us about them in this thread.

Not all of the candidates in the lists below are eggcorns, of course. You should check the relevant thread for each entry you want to include in your own lists. In some of the threads you may find posted responses that argue against the eggcornicity of the candidate.
————————————————————————-

Eggcorn Candidates Beginning with A-E:

a count << account | Juan
accesses << excesses | Dixon
accomplish << accomplice | David T
ache out << eke out | Joe
acidic << hasidic | Kem
add and abed << aid and abet | David B
add and abide << aid and abet | David B
adismal << abysmal | humblegenius
adject poverty << abject poverty | Juan
advantage point << vantage point | Ken
aegean << augean | Kem
aerosoil << aerosol | David B
aftermash << aftermath | Peter
aftermatch << aftermath | Peter
aggregious << egregious/aggravated | lucyhoneychurch
aid and abeat << aid and abet | Pat
aid and abite << aid and abet | Pat
aid and abate << aid and abet | Ken
aid in a bed << aid and abet | David B
al freshco << al fresco | Peter
waylay my fears << allay my fears | dalke
allocades << accolades/allocation | David B
allstruck << awestruck | David B
alter eagle << alter ego | David B
alto ego << alter ego | Peter
alumna mater << alma mater | Pat
always me << woe is me | Ken
amnety << amnesty/enmity/amity | Kem
anormalous << anomalous | Ken
antidope << antidote | Teppod
antidose << antidote | David B
antigravy << antigravity | David B
arms << alms | Kem
arrange << array | David T
arrow dynamic << aerodynamic | David B
arrow bars << error bars | David B
as the crowd flies << as the crow flies | Ken
-aside (insectaside) << -icide (insecticide) | Kem
as is my won’t << as is my want | David B
assistant living << assisted living | David T
astunnish/stunnish << astonish | David B
at the drop of a cat << at the drop of a hat | Ken
await team << away team | Kem
awe encompassing << all encompassing | jamesbgraf
awespicious << auspicious | David B
baa humbug << bah humbug | Peter
backish water << brackish water | Ken
backslash << backlash | Juan
bacon call << beck and call | Juan
bald part << ball park | David B
ball/balled faced lie << bald faced lie | David B
ball point << ball park | Peter
ballicose << bellicose | Ken
balmy << barmy | David B
bambi-legged << bandy-legged | helenleckie
bands << banns | Ken
bane Capital << Bain Capital | Ken
bangle tiger << Bengal tiger | Joe
banglelow << bungalow | David B
bans << banns | David T
barmy << balmy | David B
basque << bask | Joe
bat and switch << bait and switch | Peter
baton switch << bait and switch | David B
batten down the hatchets << batten down the hatches | MissPoste
battling ram << battering ram | Sooperbud
bear down on << barrel down on | Joe
beautific << beatific | Kem
beautification << beatification | David B
beggar’s dozen << baker’s dozen | Pat
begones << bygones | Kem
begrundingly << begrudgingly | Pat
belabel the point << belabour/belabor the point | David T
beleaguer the point << belabour/belabor the point | David B
belt the cat << bell the cat | Ken
bighead << bigot | David B
bill out << bail out | David B
blah-say/blahsé/blahsee << blasé | David B
blasé faire << laissez faire | yanogator
blastfamy/blastfamous << blasphemy/blasphemous | Peter
blastfumy/blastfumous << blasphemy/blasphemous | David B
blasthemy/blasthemous << blasphemy/blasphemous | David B
bleating << bleeding | David B
boar constrictor << boa constrictor | David B
boat of confidence << vote of confidence | David B
boer constrictor << boa constrictor | Juan
bone faced lie << bald faced lie | David B
boon << boom | Peter
bottega vinega << bottega veneta | David B
bounding baby << bouncing baby | David B
bowl faced lie << bald faced lie | David B
box standard << bog standard | Peter
brew-ha << brouhaha | Dixon
brought to like << brought to light | David T
brought to like << brought to life | Kem
brow noser << brown noser | Ken
brushetta << bruschetta | David B
buck beds << bump beds | Juan
buddy (anybuddy) << body (anybody) | Elipsis…
bull faced lie << bald faced lie | David B
bullicose << bellicose | Pat
bulligerent << belligerent | David B
bump beds << bunk beds | CatherineR
bundalow << bungalow | David B
bunglelow << bungalow | Matt Westwood
bunkalow << bungalow | Kem
bye guns << bygones | David B
bye gones << bygones | David B
cache phrase << catch phrase | David B
cache << couch | David B
camel meal/camelmeal tea << chamomile tea | Kem
candlelight visual << candlelight vigil | colinski
carbonate sauvignon << cabernet sauvignon | David B
cart << card | louhevly
cash phrase << catch phrase | David B
causality << casualty | Dixon
cell << cel | Joe
celt << kilt | Pat
centilla << scintilla | Joe
chaise langue << chaise longue [French] |
charcohol << charcoal/alcohol | David B
charismas << christmas | David T
checkpot << jackpot | Kem
chickenery << chicanery | David B
chimp on (one’s) shoulder << chip on (one’s) shoulder | Ken
chopped sticks << chopsticks | Kem
christian << christen | Juan
christma << charisma | David B
chrome magnon/magnum << cro-magnon | Peter
circumbend << circumvent | Peter
circumbent << circumvent | Kem
circumschism << circumcision | Juan
circumwent (with circumgo/goes/going, circumwenting/circumwented) << circumvent | Kem, Pat, David B
clapperboard << clapboard | David B
clawfish << crawfish | Ken
clear conscious << clear conscience | Dixon
clompsy << clumsy | David B
close pins << clothes pins | Lint4Brains
clothes-nit << close knit | David B
clothes << close | David B
clumpsy << clumsy | Peter
coach potato << couch potato | Ken
coach << couch | Kem
coal << kohl | David B
coarse theorem << Coase theorem | Ken
coax << couch | Kem
cockhold << cuckold | Juan
coin of advantage << coign of vantage | Joe
coin of vantage << coign of vantage | Joe
cold as hail << cold as hell | Kem
cold switch << code switch | Theodore
collation << coalition | David B
collision << coalition | Juan
collusion << coalition | Peter
Columbus monkey << colobus monkey | Peter
come home to root << come home to roost | Ken
commerce pears << Comice pears | Peter
Commis pears << Comice pears | Peter
concernation << consternation | Kem
concreation << concretion | Kem
constern << concern | David T
consultation prize << consolation prize | Ken
contra-ban << contraband | cavity_lee
convenient store << convenience store | mattbarros
cook’s tour << Cook’s tour | Ken
coordinately invited << cordially invited | thenzero
corpse of trees << copse of trees | Pat
counterfake << counterfeit | David B
counterfit << counterfeit | Kem
country banned << contraband | Juan
country bound << contraband | Juan
coverbund/coverbun << cummerbund | David B
cranktankerous << cantankerous | Ken
crease << grease a palm | David B
crone’s disease << Crohn’s disease | David B
cross << crass | Kem
crouch << couch | Kem
crouch potato << couch potato | Pat
crow magnon/magnum << cro-magnon | David B
crueling << grueling | David B
crumble zone << crumple zone | tyler
crunch << clutch | Ken
cul-de-sac << coldy sack | David B
curled << curdled | Joe
curtain << curtail/contain/restrain | fpberger
cuvée << couvée [French]| David B
D and A << DNA | Peter
damn squid << damp squib | Peter
dawning task << daunting task | David B
death warned over << death warmed over | Ken
death wormed over << death warmed over | David B
death swarmed over << death warmed over | ck
debang << debunk | David B
debuckle << debacle | Kem
debung << debunk | David B
decease << desist | Kem
decrapitated << dilapidated/decrepit/crappy | rfwillis
decrippled << decrepit | David B
decrypted << decrepit | bluecrab
deepression << depression | David T
defacecate << defecate | Kem
defecto << de facto | David B
defer << differ | Juan
defer from << deter from | madeleine82
defunked << defunct | terrycollman
delight << delite* | Kem
departed << parted | Kem
depose of << dispose of | lesaint
derrig << derrick | Kem
deshoveled << disheveled | David B
despeakable/disspeakable/dispeakable << despicable | Pat
desperate streets << desperate straits | Peter
deter to << defer to | madeleine82
devil in Carnet << devil incarnate | Peter
diastraits << dire straits | David B
difference << deference | Juan
dire beaties/dire betic << diabetes/diabetic | David B
dire streets << dire straits | David B
dirty leaning << dirty linen | David B
dirty lining << dirty linen | David B
discomforture << discomfort/discomfiture | David B
disgribe << describe | David T
dish-shoveled << disheveled | Kem
disleveled << disheveled | David B
dogshund << dachshund | David B
don’t care one twit << don’t care one whit | tyler=
doorjamb << doorstop | Mark Mandel
Dore << dubras* | Kem
double blind << double bind | David B
double bind << double blind | Kem
double-etched << double-edged | David B
doubled eggs << deviled eggs | Quizzicalbee
doubty << dowdy | David B
downward sparrow << downward spiral | David B
drag << drawl | David B
drawn and courted << drawn and quartered | David B
drecks << dreges | Kem
dreg << drek | Kem
drivel << drizzle | David B
drool << drawl | Juan
drowned and quartered << drawn and quartered | Ken
drudge up << dredge up | fpberger
dutchhound << dachshund | Kem
dying age << day and age | David B
eagle eye << evil eye | Kem
earl great tea << earl grey tea | David B
earl grade tea << earl grey tea | Pat
early grey tea << earl grey tea | David T
earnest << honest | ioksotot
ebon flow << ebb and flow | tpeckenpaugh
ecsponge/exsponge << expunge | David B
edge << etch | fpberger
efficionado << aficionado | Ken
egg knock << egg nog | Juan
eggrevious/egrevious << egregious/aggravated/grievous | David B
elegy << eulogy | Kem
ELO rating << Elo rating | Ken
embarko << embargo | Peter
embrawled << embroiled | Peter
emusculation << emasculation | David B
encrouch << encroach | mollymooly
end-all and beat-all << end-all and be-all | gormsby
end-all to beat-all << end-all and be-all | mskyle
end around << end run | vexact
enterage << entourage | Kem
entirage << entourage | David B
Entire State Building << Empire State Building | Kem
errol grey tea << earl grey tea | Pat
espouser << exposure | Dixon
euchrist << eucharist | David B
eurodynamic << aerodynamic | David B
event garde << avant garde | David B
ex checker << exchequer | Juan
exasturbate << exacerbate | David B
excesserbate << exacerbate | Pat
Excising/excism << exorcising/exorcism | Pat
exfoiliate << exfoliate | Juan
exorbiting << exorbitant | David B
expunch << expunge | Kem
extorbitant << exorbitant | Netroller 3D
extraorbitant << exorbitant | Netroller 3D
eyeclops << cyclops | kranjec
Eyeful tower << Eiffel tower | David T
eyes of march << ides of march | Ken

Last edited by kem (2011-01-02 14:54:00)


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

Offline

 

#2 2010-12-31 19:00:13

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Eggcorn Candidates Beginning with F-O:

fact simile << facsimile | Ken
fact similar << facsimile | Kem
fair << fare | Dixon
fair warned << forewarned | Ken
fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B
fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B
fairest wheel << ferris wheel | David T
fairy’s/fairies’ wheel << ferris wheel | David B
fake simile << facsimile | David B
falderall << falderal | Kem
fall fool << fall foul |
fall foal << fall foul |
fall fowl << fall foul | Juan
fallopen << fallopian | David B
false swoop << fell swoop | vexact
faults hope << false hope | vexact
faults << false | David B
fazer << phaser | Kem
ferry’s wheel << ferris wheel | Peter
ficment of imagination << figment of imagination | Kem
fiction of imagination << figment of imagination | Ken
fightsy << feisty | David B
filleted alive << flayed alive | Kem
financially stripped << financially strapped | Joe
findly << finally | Dixon
fission << frisson | MJinVA
fizzle material << fissile material | Peter
flabitis << phlebitis | David B
fleet of stairs << flight of stairs | Pat
flight of foot << fleet of foot | Peter
fly and leap << flying leap | David B
fodderall << falderal | Kem
fool hearted << foolhardy | CatherineR
foolhearty << foolhardy | Peter
forceable << foreseeable | 4mla1fn
foredrawn conclusion << foregone conclusion | kranjec
foregone << forgone | David T
foresage << presage/foresee | David B
forgot conclusion << foregone conclusion | David B
fork on conclusion << foregone conclusion | fpberger
foulderol << falderal | David T
fourth bridge << Forth bridge | Juan
fowlderol << falderal | Kem
fragrant << flagrant | David B
frayed alive << flayed alive | Kem
fright with danger << fraught/rife with danger | czearfoss
frosted with danger << fraught with danger | David B
froth/frothed with danger << fraught with danger | czearfoss
full << fold (as in hundredfold) | Pat
fullblown conclusion << foregone conclusion | lauredhel
fumball << fumble | Kem
gang ho << gung ho | David B
gathering << Gadarene | David B
gendetalia << genetalia | David B
genetailia << genetailia | David B
get treat of << get rid of | David B
glaze << gaze | Kem
glory << gory | Ken
glowry << glory | David B
glummy << gloomy | David B
gnat-picking << nit-picking | Pat
gnawing << knowing | Juan
go inside << coincide | David B
goat-T << goatee | Gumrat
gobbled << garbled | David B
good writtens << good riddance | Juan
good writtance << good riddance | David B
Grabgrind << Gradgrind | Ken
graded cheese << grated cheese | Kem
great-neck speed/greatneck speed << breakneck speed | czearfoss
Grieg’s << Greek’s | Joe
grubble << gravel/rubble | David T
grudge band << grunge band | David B
guess << guest | Juan
guest << guess | David B
guide wire << guy wire | Joe
guy << guide | David B
guyed lines << guidelines | Peter
hadassic << hasidic | David B
hagged << haggard | David B
hailed responsible <<held responsible | CatherineR
hair-brained << hare-brained | Kem
half mask << half mast | David B
hammer << hamper | Pat
hammer-fisted << ham-fisted | sethwenger
hamper << hammer | David T
hand into the ring << hat into the ring | Ken
hanging as a thread << hanging as a thread | David B
harbor << arbor | David B
harmicide << homicide | Ken
harp back << hark back | Azure-rumped Tanager
haties/hateys << hades | Joe
have the gull << have the gall | David B
head into the ring << hat into the ring | David B
head shebang << head sherang | Malmo
heart beep << heart beat | David B
heather << hither | Juan
heaven’s no << heavens no | David T
hedge << etch | David B
hell of beams << hill of beans | David B
hide and abed << aid and abet | David B
higharchy << hierarchy | David B
higheroglyphics << hieroglyphics | David B
hill of beams << hill of beans | czearfoss
hill of beings << hill of beans | David B
hit-on collision << head-on collision | Pat
hold down the fork << hold down the fort | MacGil
hollowdeck << holodeck | David B
homaphrodite << hermaphrodite | Ken
honest << onus | Ken
honest << earnest | Kem
honorous << onerous | Juan
hoodwing << hoodwink | Kem
hook, line and stinker << hook, line and sinker | Ken
hooray << array | David B
horsefed << force fed | David B
hospices << auspices | David B
hot tub << hot bed | David B
housepitality << hospitality | Kem
hunt << haunt | CatherineR
hurty gerty << hurdy gurdy | David B
I teeth << eyeteeth | Kem
ice breaker << ice scraper | Kem
iceolation/icelation/icolation << isolation | Kem
iconoclassic << iconoclastic | David B
imbiding on << imbibing | vole
immuno acid << amino acid| David B
impeachable << impeccable | rfwillis
in material << immaterial | Peter
in strife << in stride | Kem
in maculate << immaculate | Peter
in-prompt-to << impromptu | Keith Rarick
indefeatigable << indefatigable | Kem
inerrantly << inherently | David B
inheritly << inherently | Ken
innudendo << innuendo | Kem
insensed << incensed | David T
install/in stall << in store | rlandmann
instink << instinct | David B
instore << install | Juan
insulated incident << isolated incident | Martha
interlooper << interloper | Juan
intern << inter | StanCarey
interrub << interrupt | David B
into the flay << into the fray | David B
into itself << unto itself | HarrisonB
intrickle << integral | Peter
inturned << interred | David B
itch << etch | fpberger
jackpocket << jackpot | Kem
jejeune << jejune | Kem
jelly deals << jellied eels | mikew
jig solve puzzles << jigsaw puzzles | crice
keep for prosperity << keep for posterity | Mad Brewage
kiltic << celtic | Joe
Kim Jong 2 << Kim Jong Il | Juan
King Jong Il << Kim Jong Il | David B
knowing << gnawing | Juan
label the point << labour/labor the point | Peter
lackloster << lackluster | Peter
Ladder Day Saints << Latter Day Saints | Ken
laughing stark << laughing stock | David B
laughing talk << laughing stock | David B
laughing stork << laughing stock | David B
law biting << law abiding | Ken
lawyal/lawalty << loyal/loyalty | David B
lawyer jirga << loya jirga | Ken
let the cat out of the back << let the cat out of the bag | David B
letter lone << let alone | Ken
lie detective test << lie detector test | Mad Brewage
limpet pool << limpid pool | Ken
limpid << limpet | Juan
lion cloth << loin cloth | Joe
liquorice << glycyrrhiza | Kem
living bicuriously/bycuriously << living vicariously | David B
living viacuriously << living vicariously | David B
living vicarelessly << living vicariously | David B
living by carelessly << living vicariously | helloroad
lock, stock and barrow << lock, stock and barrel | Peter
long road to toe << long row to hoe | jbrym
longettes << lorgnette | David B
low-hanging food << low hanging fruit | Ken
loyal jirga << loya jirga | David B
luckluster << lackluster | Juan
lumber << lumbar support | Ken
lumpbajo << lumbar | David B
lumpbar << lumbar | David B
lushious << luscious | Kem
lutefish << lutefisk | Kem
make a fuzz << make a fuss | Dixon
malice << malaise | ruthkc
man hoovers << maneuvers | Juan
manner of course << matter of course | SimonW11
manner of course << matter of course | SimonW11
meaty greedy << nitty-gritty | David B
meek out << eke out | David B
melees << malaise | David B
might << mite | David B
mightest << midas | David B
mightier << mitre | Peter
mildstone << milestone | Peter
mind-bugging << mind-boggling | Pat
mind-bobbling << mind-boggling | Pat
mind-blogging << mind-boggling | David B
mind-bungling << mind-boggling | Ken
mind-bugling << mind-boggling | Peter
mind melt << mind meld | Kem
mind-buckling << mind-boggling | David B
mind-bulging << mind-boggling | Peter
mind-burgling << mind-boggling | Peter
mink condition << mint condition | frippo
misknowmer << misnomer | Joe
misnoma << misnomer | David B
missed nomer << misnomer | David B
mixgivings << misgivings/mixed feelings | David B
molt-off cocktail << Molotov cocktail | David B
monica << moniker | David B
mood << mode | David B
moral-ways << mores | David B
moreways << mores | Pat
morsels << mortals | Peter
moussetache << mustache | David B
mud racking << muck raking | Juan
muddles the waters << muddies the waters | Peter
muscle-bounded << muscle-bound | David B
musculine << masculine | David B
musstashe/mussstash << mustache | David B
must dash << mustache | David B
muzzle in on << muscle in on | David B
narrow surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T
nature adores a vacuum << nature abhors a vacuum | Ken
near/nearo surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T
neat-picking << nit-picking | David B
needy greedy << nitty-gritty | David B
neigh-sayer << nay sayer | AKME
neo surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T
Nero surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T
nick-picking << nit-picking | Kem
nitty griddy << nitty-gritty | Peter
no lesser << no less a | terrycollmann
nonpulsed << nonplussed | Ken
not turtle << nocturnal | notaturtle
noticed << notesed | David B
nuzzle in on << muscle in on | Pat
oakra << okra | Kem
oakum << acumbe*/oak | David B
obknockious << obnoxious | David B
obknoxious << obnoxious | David B
obliverate << obliterate | David B
obnauseous << obnoxious | David B
obscuse << abstruse | Kem
obstruse << abstruse | Ken
odd << awed | David T
ode de << eau de | dirthawker
odor/odour << ordure | Kem
odorves << hors d’oeuvre | David B
old grey tea << earl grey tea | Juan
old factory << olfactory | Ken
older ego << alter ego | Ken
ominent << immanent/eminent/ominous | David B
on slot << onslaught | David T
on the bring << on the brink | David B
once bitter, twice shy << once bit, twice shy | David B
one bit, twice shy << once bit, twice shy | Ken
or be it << albeit | smyth
ordure << odor/odour | Kem
orthodentist << orthodontist | Kem
otherside << otherwise | johny_eh
out on a limp << out on a limb | David B
Outer Bridge Crossing << Outerbridge Crossing | Ken
overdoes << overdose | Ken
overdope << overdose | David T
overdoze << overdose | David B
ownerous << onerous | fpberger
oxygenarian << octogenarian | rhetorick

Last edited by kem (2011-01-02 15:08:12)


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

Offline

 

#3 2010-12-31 19:01:33

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Eggcorn Candidates Beginning with P-Z:

pair down << pare down | jonkeane
Palace Athena << Pallas Athena | Ken
palatable << palliative | David B
palletive << palliative | Kem
Palmer ham << Parma ham | Peter
Palma ham << Parma ham | David B
palm of one’s ham << palm of one’s hand | David B
par none << bar none | Kem
parce << parse | Joe
passafist << pacifist | Peter
pea loaf << pilaf | David B
peace porter << piesporter | David B
peace de resistance << pièce de résistance | Peter
pearing knife << paring knife | Joe
pedactic << pedantic/didactic | Pat
pedal << paddle | Juan
pedant << penchant |
peer glass << pier glass | David B
pen me down << pin me down | Dixon
pendancy << tendancy | David T
pendant << penchant | fpberger
pennant << penchant | David B
pert near << pretty near | David T
photochop << photoshop | Kem
pickfalls << pitfalls | Peter
pigot << bigot | Peter
pilling << pillion | David B
piloaf << pilaf | David B
pimp << primp | David B
pinch on << penchant | David B
pinion << pillion | Peter
pipbull << pitbull | Peter
Pipe eye << Popeye |
pipfalls << pitfalls | Peter
pissimist << pessimist | David B
pistons << pistils | Kem
pitfaults << pitfalls | Peter
plantform << platform | David T
plate tactonics << plate tectonics | Pat
plate techtonics << plate tectonics | Pat
plumb nickel << plug nickel | David B
plump << plumb | Ken
polyspore << polypore | Kem
ponderous box << Pandora’s box | Peter
poo-pooped << pooh-pooh | David T
poohbah << poohpooh | Kem
poop-pooped << pooh-pooh | Peter
popery << pot pourri | Juan
pork calling the cattle black << pot calling the cattle black | David B
porkly << portly | Peter
pot calling the cattle back << pot calling the cattle black | Juan
potent << potion | Kem
precrampsia << preeclampsia | David B
preface-orial << professorial | Joe
pressient << prescient | Peter
prestall << preinstall | Juan
prime ordeal << primordial | Ken
prim rose << primerole* | David B
promise sorry note << promissory note | Pat
promistory note << promissory not | Ken
providence << provenance | Peter
puncheon << penchant |
pungent << penchant | David B
punitive << putative | hcbowman
put us under << put asunder | David B
putitive << punitive | Kem
pynchon << penchant | Pat
rack and piston << rack and pinion | David B
radiheater << radiator | patbateman
raft << wrath | honzik20
rainsack << ramsack | David B
rambunches << rambunctious | David B
randsack << ramsack | David B
ranksack << ramsack | David B
raped over the coals << raked over the coals | Pat
rare-do-well << ne’er-do-well | lesle
ratch-it wrench << ratchet wrench | David B
rawcuss << raucous/ruckus | Peter
ray << array | Joe
re-found << refund | pickpen
recan << recant | Kem
recan’t << recant | David B
recession << rescission | CLS
recon << reckon | Juan
reconned << reckoned | Juan
red line district << red light district | RandyOlson
red heron << red herring | Pat
redonedant << redundant | David B
redonedone << redundant | David B
reentererate << reiterate | Pat
refear << revere | Kem
refudiate << repudiate | Craig
reinstore << reinstall | Peter
relicate << relegate | David B
reliterate << reiterate | David B
remains me << reminds me | Dixon
renowal << renewal | David B
repuke << rebuke | David B
resend << rescind | Pat
respected owners << respective owner | mdow
rest ashore << rest assured | David B
restall << restore | David B
restervoir << reservoir | David B
retrogarde << retrograde | Ken
reutterate << reiterate | Pat
riftraft << riffraff/riprap | TomRossen
road << rode | Dixon
robbing people to pay Paul << robbing Peter to pay Paul | tyler
rope << rote | Gumrat
Roswell park Institute << Roswell Park Institute | Ken
rotguts << ruckus | David B
routing << rooting for | umechan
rude screen << rood screen | vexact
run and jump << running jump | Juan
run of the mile << run-of-the-mill | David B
run of the mild << run-of-the-mill | David B
rutting << rooting | David B
saddle << staddle stones | Peter
scents danger << sense danger | Joe
scorch << scotch | Peter
scotch << scorch | fpberger
see change << sea change | David B
see-section << c-section | Kem
seeded << ceded | Juan
seemless << seamless | mollymooly
seenic << scenic | Juan
seeped in/with << seeped in/with | Pat
semesterm/semisterm << semester | David B
semister << semester | Eggfinder
separate the weed from the chaff << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
separate the weak from the chaff << separate the wheat from the chaff | Pat
separate the weak from the chap << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
separate the weak from the chaff << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
separate the weak from the chav << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
separate the wheat from the chafe << separate the wheat from the chaff | Ken
separate the weak from the chuff << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
serous clouds << cirrus clouds | David B
sexpit << cesspit | Peter
sexpool << cesspool | David B
shade in Freud << schadenfreude | David B
shadowFreud << schadenfreude | David B
shady Freud << schadenfreude | David B
shaft << chaff | Ken
shake one’s thirst << slake one’s thirst | Ken
shallow of doubt << shadow of doubt |
shiftrobe/shiftarobe << chifforobe | David B
shingle out << single out | Kem
shingles << singles | David B
shop full of << chock full of | Pat
shot across the brow << shot across the bow | TomRossen
shot across the bowel << shot across the bow | David B
shun aside << shunt aside | Joe
shuttering << shuddering | bluecrab
sickle pears << Seckel pears | David B
sight on scene << site unseen | vole
sing-a-songwriter << singer songwriter | David B
Sirius clouds << cirrus clouds | David B
sistercian << cistercian | Kem
sizemic shift << seismic shift | Peter
skinned << skimmed | Dixon
slag << sling/slang | David B
slang << sling | Peter
sleeped in/with << steep in/with |
sleeve << sleave | Peter
sleigh << slate | Pat
slinging match << slanging match | rfwillis
slip/slipped second << split second | David T
slit second << split second | Peter
Smith and Western << Smith and Wesson | Pat
snipe << snide | Kem
snipit << snippet | Dixon
so merrily << summarily | David T
so posedly/so pose << supposedly/suppose | David T
sock-it wrench << socket wrench | David B
soft-soak << soft-soap | Ken
softa << sofa | Kem
softer << sofa | David B
soldiering iron << soldering iron | Ken
someteenth << umpteenth) | Joe
sort of Damocles << sword of Damocles | Ken
sought the weak from the chaff << separate the wheat from the chaff | David B
sound bit << sound bite | Joe
spade << spate | David B
spammer in the works << spanner in the works | Ken
span out << fan out | mcf
spaniel in the works << spanner in the works | Ken
sparking conversationalist << sparkling conversationalist | Ken
speak louder << peak louder | Juan
spear ribs << spare ribs | Pat
spit second << split second | Peter
spongifoam << spongiform | David B
spread ego << spread eagle | David B
springkle << sprinkle | Kem
squeal like a stuffed pig << squeal like a stuck pig | jbryum
stake one’s thirst << slake one’s thirst | David B
stalk and trade << stock and trade | David B
stand still << stock still | Pat
star sprinked banner << star spangled banner | Peter
star spanked banner << star spangled banner | fpberger
star stuttered << star studded | David B
star studied << star studded | Ken
starch << staunch | David B
starch still << stock still | David B
stark still << stock still | David B
start still << stock still | Pat
steak dinner << state dinner | Kem
stealthoscope << steathoscope | David B
steep with << steeped in | Juan
steepled in/with << steep in/with | Jaun
stem to sternum << stem to stern | fishmatt
stent << stint | Ken
Stephen Soundheim << Stephen Sondheim | David T
Stephen Songheim << Stephen Sondheim | Ken
stepped in/with << steep in/with | Juan
stink << stint | David B
stint << stunt | fpberger
stock steel << stock still | David B
stooped in/with << steeped in/with | MLR
straddle << staddle stones | Peter
streaks ahead << streets ahead | Oikolukija
stroke << stoke | Ken
stump one’s growth << stunt one’s growth | fpberger
stunning ovation << standing ovation | Peter
stunt << stint | Kem
summon it up << sum it up | David T
sunnertime << summertime | Kem
swatch << swath | David B
syntactic sugar << synthetic sugar | thatsmyusername
tale spin/talespin << tailspin | David T
tap hammer << tack hammer | Peter
tap-it wrench << tappet wrench | Joe
taunt << daunt | Juan
teasmaid << teasmade << tea is made | Lindamp
tender << tinder | Joe
tendril << tendon | Kem
tenner << tenor | Peter
terrorny << tyranny | Pat
teutonic << tectonic | Ken
thankless hot water << tankless hot water | Ken
the leg room << some leg room | David B
thistle material << fissile material | Peter
tighty widies << tidy whities | David B
tintinnitus << tinnitus | Peter
Tipsy Eve << Tib’s/Tibb’s/Tips/Tipps Eve | David B
tomato plight << tomato blight | Ken
tongue tight << tongue-tied | David B
took the case << took the cake | john crowley
top the scales << tip the scales | Kem
touch-and-goal << touch-and-go | johncoleman
touchy-filly << touchy-feely | Peter
touring machine << Turing machine | Ken
tremblor << temblor | Kem
trembulation << tribulation | David T
trick << twig | David B
trimbulation << tribulation | Peter
trimulation << tribulation | Peter
tripidation << trepidation | Kem
tryst << twist | Ken
tumbler << temblor | Ken
turn of duty << tour of duty | Joe
tweak << twig | David B
twinge << tinge | David T
twinge << twig | Kem
twist << tryst | David B
two-bit shell << two-bit shill | eewallace
umbellical cord << umbilical cord | Pat
umveldt << umwelt | David B
unbounding << abounding/unbounded | David T
under the raider << under the radar | Kem
undertoe << undertow | David B
unendlessly << unendingly | Juan
unforceen << unforseen | David B
unraffle << unravel | Kem
unrazzle << unravel | David B
unrequired << unrequited | Joe
unwrapple << unravel | David B
up great << upgrade | xopher
upbreast << update/abreast | David T
upduction << abduction | David B
upper crest << upper crust | yEvb0
upraid << upbraid | Peter
upscond << abscond | David B
utter << outer | vexact
uvulation << ululation | David B
valva << vulva | David B
various veins < varicose veins | Juan
vast deferens << vas deferens | Kem
verclamped << verklempt | David B
verminous snake << venomous snake | Peter
vessel state << vassal state | Peter
vicarious veins < varicose veins | Juan
virgina << vagina | Juan
vivacious << voracious | rfwillis
volumble << voluble | David B
waving one’s options << weighing one’s options | catsamore
well-manored << well-mannered | Ken
whacking one’s brain << racking one’s brain | Peter
wheedler-dealer << wheeler-dealer | David B
whew << woo | David B
whirl << world | Ruddy
white the slate clean << wipe the slate clean | Pat
whoa << wow | Pat
whole heartily << whole heartedly | vexact
whole nice yards << whole nine yards | Ken
whole kitchen caboodle << whole kit and caboodle | David T
whole kitten and poodle << whole kit and caboodle | David B
wildfar << wildfire | Pat
window cell << window sill | jonny_eh
windowshield << windshield | lapith
winkle out << wrinkle out | Peter
with a plum << with aplomb | Peter
work in process << work in progress | Joe
work and progress << work in progress | rlandmann
world << whirl | David B
world-reknowed << world reknowned | David B
world win romance << whirlwind romance | Chandra
wretched wrench << ratchet wrench | David B
wringkle << wrinkle | David B
wringle << wrinkle | fpberger
wrinkle out << winkle out | David B
write the slate clean << wipe the slate clean | Pat
wroth with danger << fraught/wrought with danger | David B
wrought with danger << fraught with danger | czearfoss
zinfidel << zinfandel | David B

Last edited by kem (2011-01-02 15:07:22)


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

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#4 2010-12-31 19:28:48

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

While assembling our list of eggcorn candidates I flagged the ones that stood out for me, about 50 of them. Then I whittled at the flagged list until the thought of losing one more was too much to bear. I ended up with a clutch of 30 that represent, for me at least, the best of eggcorns of 2010 .

redonedone << redundant | David B

A gem, but a rare one, unfortunately. I’m a sucker for self-referential events. “Redonedone” not only means redundant, it is redundant. A sort of semantic onomatopoeia.

photochop << photoshop | Kem

This is the eggcorn from our 2010 that I vote “most likely to succeed.” Someday we may forget the verb “photoshop” and “photochop” will take its place. Software names have little staying power in the larger scheme of things–recall, if you can, the once-famous Visicalc, Electric Pencil, and Framework.

fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B

The second eggcorn most likely to succeed. Pundits will correct this one to “Ferris,” the name of an otherwise obscure engineer, until we are tired of hearing about it, but the eggcorn is so much better than the acorn that it deserves to be the name of the carnival ride.

blastfumy/blastfumous << blasphemy/blasphemous | David B

Ya gotta love these double yolkers. If we called it “blastfumy” instead of “blasphemy” there would be a lot less of it, I suspect.

oxygenarian << octogenarian | rhetorick

Another rare one. But any eggcorn that could end up as a throwaway line in a comedian’s monologue has something going for it.

uvulation << ululation | David B

This one is funny and dirty and opaque all at the same time. Last week I tried it on attendees at a Christmas party. It got big laughs, but it usually took a second or two for the laugh to come.

death wormed over << death warmed over | David B

Not only funny, but the candidate that I would be most embarrassed to be caught (and probably will be caught) saying.

promise sorry note << promissory note | Pat

Pat had a good year, quality-wise, and this is one of his best contributions. “Promise sorry note” circulates as a pun, but in a few web examples it seems that the users of the phrase really think that “promise sorry” is standard.

clawfish << crawfish | Ken

Ken’s right, this one deserves the under-our-noses SNOT (Seen but NOT Observed) award.

par none << bar none | Kem (channeling Mark Liberman)

An eggcorn as widespread as this one has some claim to an end-of-the-year best-of list.

alumna mater << alma mater | Pat

Delicious. It’s the irony of employing a Latin phrase to sound sophisticated then so busting yourself.

Another twenty top 2010 eggcorns, many of them just as good as the ones above:

anormalous << anomalous | Ken
arrow dynamic << aerodynamic | David B
centilla << scintilla | Joe
circumwent << circumvent | Kem, Pat, David B
decrippled << decrepit | David B
deepression << depression | David T
embrawled << embroiled | Peter
excesserbate << exacerbate | Pat
extorbitant << exorbitant | Netroller 3D
glowry << glory | David B
go inside << coincide | David B
hit-on collision << head-on collision | Pat
jejeune << jejune | Kem
mink condition << mint condition | frippo
obliverate << obliterate | David B
pissimist << pessimist | David B
Smith and Western << Smith and Wesson | Pat
spongifoam << spongiform | David B
stealthoscope << steathoscope | David B
swatch << swath | David B


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

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#5 2011-01-01 10:03:43

Peter Forster
Eggcornista
From: UK
Registered: 2006-09-06
Posts: 1222

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Many thanks for all the hard work, Kem – your efforts make spontaneous selection possible without too much exhaustive and exhausting mouse-harrying.
In alphabetical order and selected at fearsome speed in a pleasantly altered state, here are my top 20 eggcorns of 2010:

1. bangle tiger << Bengal tiger | Joe
2. bighead << bigot | David B
3. blah-say/blahsé/blahsee << blasé | David B
4. chimp on (one’s) shoulder << chip on (one’s) shoulder | Ken
5. close pins << clothes pins | Lint4Brains
6. coal << kohl | David B
7. cockhold << cuckold | Juan
8. death wormed over << death warmed over | David B
9. despeakable/disspeakable/dispeakable << despicable | Pat
10. fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B
11. limpet pool << limpid pool | Ken
12. nature adores a vacuum << nature abhors a vacuum | Ken
13. peer glass << pier glass | David B
14. pork calling the cattle black << pot calling the cattle black | David B
15. redonedone << redundant | David B
16. red heron << red herring | Pat
17. robbing people to pay Paul << robbing Peter to pay Paul | tyler
18. rude screen << rood screen | vexact
19. so merrily << summarily | David T
20. wheedler-dealer << wheeler-dealer | David B

I notice that David B seems particularly well-represented, but that should be no surprise given that not only is he the most prolific eggcorn-hunter but he is also our most prodigious variant-winkler. I also look forward to meeting you all at our Annual Convention…

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#6 2011-01-01 13:06:26

jorkel
Eggcornista
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 1456

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Here’s the one which I found most amusing in 2010. I have to set it apart from the rest because it isn’t a very common acorn to begin with. It’s hilarious how an appetizer for refined audiences gets a slangy touch…
jelly deals << jellied eels | mikew

Here’s the rest of my 2010 toppers:
centilla << scintilla | Joe
laughing stork << laughing stock | David B
close pins << clothes pins | Lint4Brains
tremblor << temblor | Kem
window cell << window sill | jonny_eh
beggar’s dozen << baker’s dozen | Pat
defecto << de facto | David B
fazer << phaser | Kem
in-prompt-to << impromptu | Keith Rarick
guide wire << guy wire | Joe
clawfish << crawfish | Ken
undertoe << undertow | David B
stump one’s growth << stunt one’s growth | fpberger
unrequired << unrequited | Joe
top the scales << tip the scales | Kem
deshoveled << disheveled | David B
sizemic shift << seismic shift | Peter
graded cheese << grated cheese | Kem
blastfamy/blastfamous << blasphemy/blasphemous | Peter
coverbund/coverbun << cummerbund | David B
curled << curdled | Joe
skinned << skimmed | Dixon
fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B
hair-brained << hare-brained | Kem
neo surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T
go inside << coincide | David B

With some acorn/eggcorn pairs it’s sometimes hard to know which is which. (Just recently I found myself scratching my head over sight/site unseen for the nth time). In 2010, I had trouble with this one:
scents danger << sense danger | Joe

In years past we had disagreements (which lead us to coin terms like Lehmann and Auntie Lehmann) but my favorite controversy this year surrounded these two:
not turtle << nocturnal | notaturtle
touch-and-goal << touch-and-go | johncoleman
We were largely divided over whether an eggcorn could stray so much from the meaning of the acorn so as to convey even the complete opposite.

Last edited by jorkel (2011-01-01 16:50:29)

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#7 2011-01-02 13:25:03

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

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

I initially windowed my list down to 70 contenders. Among those, the following were starred as definites, so they can constitute my top 10 list:

  • ball point figure (Peter)
  • close pin (lint4brains)
  • collision government (Juan)
  • damn squid (Peter)
  • downward sparrow (DB)
  • Earl grade tea (Pat)
  • lawyer jirga (Ken)
  • lushious (Kem)
  • promise sorry note (Pat)
  • unrequired love (Joe)

What makes this year stand out for me is the number of times that whole cuvées of end-of-the-year eggcorns were laid down by playing off one another. Among the highlights for me:

eek (Peter), ache (Joe), meek (DB) out a living
overdope (David T), overdoes (Ken), overdoze (DB)
fair’s (DB), fairest (David T), fairies (DB), ferry’s (Peter) wheel
stood starch (DB), stand (Pat), stark (Peter), stoic (DB) still
separate the wheat from the shaft (Ken), the weak from the chaff (Pat)
tumbler (Ken), tremblor (Kem) for temblor
fool hearted (CatherineR), foolhearty (Peter)
fizzle (Peter), fizzable (Joe) material
mind bugling, bulging, burgling (Peter), bungling (Ken), buckling (DB), bugging (Pat)
muzzling (DB), nuzzling (Pat) in on
Old Grey (Juan), Early Grey (David T), Erroll Grey (Pat), Earl Great (DB), Earl grade tea (Pat)

Equally delightful were the following. To make it manageable, I’ve tried to select some that weren’t mentioned above. Just couldn’t pare this down any further:

circumwent (Kem) – and all accompanying discussion
virgina (Juan)
collusion government (Peter)
country banned (Juan)
fazer (Kem) and await team (Kem)
fightsy (DB)
wrought with danger (czearfoss)
guess star (Juan)
Haties « Hades (Joe)
came back to hunt him (CatherineR)
jejeune (Kem)
mink condition (frippo)
open a ponderous box (Peter)
red heron (Pat)
rest ashore (DB)
sexpool (DB)
shunned aside (Joe)
slipped second (David T): metathetical and self-referential
so merrily << summarily (David T)
spear ribs (Pat)
stem to sternum (fishmatt)

Great malaprops, squashes, inexplicable, unaccountable, wonderfully bizarre, hopeful monsters:

aiding in a bedding (DB)
bacon call (Juan)
sort of Damocles (Ken)
thistle material (Peter)
subscription drugs (fpberger)
I am simply odd! (David T)
come heather look (Juan)
It’s a two-inched sword, either way you look at it (David T)
my Dad he was a six footed tall man (Pat)
under the allspice of the National Health Service (Peter)
Nero surgeon/near-surgeon (David T)
Peter’s auscultatory list of car noises.

It was a highly enjoyable and diverting year for me, as evidenced by my enthusiastic posting. Thanks to all for moments of glee. Special warm thanks to Kem for having undertaken the monumental task of listing and linking all the contenders. Great sheaves of gratitude to Pat for once again playing whack-a-mole spam hockey behind the scenes. Happy New Year to all.

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#8 2011-01-05 02:14:23

patschwieterman
Administrator
From: California
Registered: 2005-10-25
Posts: 1680

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

A big thanks to Kem for so generously undertaking – again! – the labor of compiling a year’s worth of submissions. Just picking and writing up 20 of my favorites took an unbelievable amount of time; I can’t imagine what assembling the whole list entailed. I know people have offered behind the scenes to help Kem with this task next year; we should probably make that discussion more public.

Below I list my 20. For some reason, I found myself drawn to some of the “quieter” submissions this time around. A bunch of my favorites are clustered at the head of the list, but the order doesn’t necessarily imply a ranking. And I cut this down from a longer list of about 60; I suspect a lot of my choices would change if I waited just a few more days. I haven’t allowed myself to look at anyone else’s selections yet, so it’ll be interesting to see if any kind of consensus develops.

David B’s prolificness is strongly in evidence here. I wasn’t consciously trying to spread my selections around most of the regulars, but that’s what happened, with only DB accounting for more than 2 of my choices.

One element of my selection leaves me quite dissatisfied: there were a lot of great submissions from 2010 that I found hilarious, insightful, amazing – but, in general, less eggcornical than those below. If I can muster some more energy and time, it’d be fun to assemble another list that would acknowledge that eggcornicity isn’t the end-all and be-all of a great find.

fair’s wheel << ferris wheel | David B; fairest wheel << ferris wheel | David T; fairy’s/fairies’ wheel << ferris wheel | David B

From a purely technical perspective, “fair’s wheel” has to be one of the best eggcorns ever found. Sonically, it’s quite close to the original, especially in fast speech. And Ferris wheels are so intimately associated with fairs that there’s no question that the reshaping is an excellent fit with the usual context of the acorn. It’s “textbook” in my view.

I actually like the other two variants better, however. As David T’s links to night-time photos of illuminated Ferris wheels make clear, they can be heartbreakingly beautiful; “fairest wheel” is a wonderful description. But my favorite of this trifecta is “fairy’s wheel.” In collocations, “fairy” is often used to describe something delicate, or elegant or especially pretty – like “fairy lights” or “fairy shrimp” or “fairy roses.” “Fairy’s wheel” seems to acknowledge that lexical tradition, underscoring the exquisiteness that Ferris wheels attain despite/because of their vast size.

Anyone of these three would have been a great find; together they constitute a stunning constellation of subtle, resonant reshapings.

candlelight visual << candlelight vigil | colinski

Okay, I love images of light in darkness – so sue me. One might challenge the eggcornicity of “candlelight visual” on the grounds that the idea of the “vigil” element is suppressed here. But I think that for so many of us, “candlelight vigils” are something we encounter most in those haunting images on the evening news, with the somber faces of participants chiaroscuroed by candles and TV crews’ lights. The visual impact of these gatherings is one of their strongest associations for me, and I bet I’m not alone.

go inside << coincide | David B

One of those psychedelic reshapings that make you realize how different your relation with some very basic terms is from that of certain of your colinguals. This is awesome on so many levels. First, it’s a true double-yolker that usefully remakes every part of the original – there aren’t a lot of those around in this year’s eggcorn crop. Secondly, the use of a hyphen by some users (“go-insides”) makes it clear that they’re trying to make sense of the verbal inflections of the remade form. And third, it still manages to make a weird sort of lysergic sense that goes inside the concept of co-incidence. I’d bet that truly eggcornical uses of this are pretty rare; I raised questions about some of the citations in the original thread. Still, truly radical reshapings like this simply don’t achieve wide currency or big numbers – I think they call too much attention to themselves, and most speakers realize that something just ain’t right. But that makes the authentic instances all the more special.

antidope << antidote | Teppod

This is my year for highlighting simple but perfect eggcorns. How’d we miss this all those years? Part of what I like about “antidope” is that it can be parsed in two different ways while still making sense in both interpretations – thereby highlighting the delightful structural ambiguities inherent in English compounding. “Antidope” could be “dope” – medicine – that you take to counteract something else; or it could be something taken against a certain kind of “dope.” A quiet eggcorn with classic contours.

living bicuriously/bycuriously << living vicariously | David B

I love this one. I’m a very shy, timid type myself, and I’ve lived vicariously through lots of friends over the years; there’s no question that my fascination with their stories of life on the edge is founded on a curiosity that I don’t have the guts to satisfy at first-hand. The semantics of this may be just a tad obscure, but I’d guess the “bi” works because those of us who live bicuriously are curious about one lifestyle while clinging steadfastly to another. Another variant David mentioned – “living vicarelessly” – is more awkward because that “vi” is left hanging, but the word as a whole gets across the idea that we wallflowers can indulge our interest in the other side while not having to pay the costs entailed.

circumwent (with circumgo/goes/going, circumwenting/circumwented) << circumvent | Kem, Pat, David B

Cross-language reshapings are rare, but Kem bagged a great one that led to a pretty spirited thread, complete with back formations, Hungarian pig lard, and the usual circumbendibi.

ache out << eke out | Joe

“Eking something out” often has to be done “pains-takingly,” with much trouble and toil. Joe’s find captures well the sweat and tears of the process.

arrow dynamic << aerodynamic | David B

Another great under-the-radar find from the Bird Man. Semantically, it’s just about as perfect as “fair’s wheel.” And as Peter pointed out, this thread caught David Bird and burred in a rare bit of public dialogue.

fightsy << feisty | David B

I really like reshapings that manage to fit the semantic context of the original while invoking a register quite at odds with it. The cutesy-poo shadings in this one neatly undercut the aggression it doggedly tries to communicate.

clawfish << crawfish | Ken

We had “crawlfish” years ago, but “clawfish” had somehow escaped our nets. As pointed out before in the forum, “crayfish” is itself eggcornish; it began life in English as a borrowing of the Old French “crevice,” which is also related to our word “crab.” The second syllable of the French word became reinterpreted as “fish.” It’s unsurprising to me that “crawfish” has inspired further reshapings – the apparent transparency of the second element suggests that the word should be a parsable compound, and speakers therefore look to impose the same level of transparency on the first element.

country banned << contraband | Juan; country bound << contraband | Juan

Another convincing double-yolker – actually, two. I think both of these work well. The first one seems to emphasize the way in which “contraband” is something that’s defined by official proclamation – it’s banned by the government of a particular country. And the second variant acknowledges that the definition of contraband is always relative; it’s coming from one place, where it’s not banned, but bound for another, where it is.

immuno acid << amino acid | David B

In the popular mind, “amino acids” are strongly linked to health issues. We don’t know what they are, but we’re pretty sure they’re good for us – hey, maybe they help the immune system. This delightful reshaping didn’t surprise me at all in that regard; what did surprise me is how often it’s found in the technical literature.

mink condition << mint condition | frippo

Yet another unassuming but perfect little eggcorn. Frippo only mentioned its use in a student paper, but a check online shows dozens of convincing instances – especially on antiques forums and auction sites. In response to Jorkel’s question about the semantic motivation for “mink,” Frippo responded, “My guess is that it’s the sort of fine condition you’d want to keep high-end items in; no one likes a ratty mink.”

narrow surgeon << neurosurgeon | David T

This was part of a whole cluster of variants on “neurosurgeon” in the thread. It seemed to me the most convincingly eggcornical of the lot – the micro-scale on which neurosurgeons work is foregrounded well here. And I like the implication that skinny surgeons might tend to specialize in a form of surgery outside the mainstream. One of the variants noted in the thread – “Nero surgeon” – seems harder to justify as an eggcorn (though the capitalization of the first element indicates some users might consciously have associated it with the Roman emperor), but it conjures up charmingly scary images.

porkly << portly | Peter

This is another one like “fightsy” – the idea of heftiness is conveyed by both acorn and eggcorn, but the stately plumpness of “portly” degenerates into mere piggish fatness in the reshaping.

redonedant << redundant | David B; redonedone << redundant | David B

The “redonedone” variant is almost too perfect to be believable, but I can’t think of any other reshaping ever that so fully conveys the main idea of the acorn.

close pins << clothes pins | Lint4Brains

I worry that most instances of this can be explained away as misspellings. Still, it’s so common that the new version probably completed semantic circuits for at least a certain percentage of users; the closability of clothes pins sets them off from all others. Another elegantly simple eggcorn.

sizemic shift << seismic shift | Peter

I’ve often wondered how users of the acorn interpret its meaning. Are “seismic” shifts noteworthy because they “alter the landscape” in ways reminiscent of those dramatic photographs of a slippage of many feet on either side of a fault after a quake? Or because the seismic scale is logarithmic, so that a shift upwards by one number in the size of an earthquake equates to a huge, tenfold increase in intensity? I don’t know. But Peter’s find resolves that ambiguity: seismic shifts are all about size.

sexpit << cesspit | Peter; sexpool << cesspool | David B

The metaphorical association of the sexual – or at least the pornographic – with “filthy” or “dirty” things is so common that someone should have gone looking for “sexpool/sexpit” years ago.

limpet pool << limpid pool | Ken

Speaking of pools, limpets do like limpid tidal pools – I don’t know whether the eggcorners know that, but it works for me. Peter eloquently raised a semantic problem with the use of this one in certain romantic circumstances: “I must admit to being puzzled that anyone could find an eye rimmed by calcareous excrescences even vaguely attractive.” Somehow, that problem only heightens its charm for me.

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#9 2011-01-11 18:25:51

Dixon Wragg
Eggcornista
From: Cotati, California
Registered: 2008-07-04
Posts: 1375

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Oboy, I made it onto jorkel’s list!

And thanks, Kem, for your labor of love in making the master list.

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#10 2011-01-17 22:22:35

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Re: Candidates for Best Eggcorns of 2010

Has everyone who wants to chime in chimed?

If so, a brief summary. I’m not sure we can call any of these candidates “the best eggcorns.” For that we would need some kind of formal voting system. But some eggcorns did get mentioned by more than one contributor.

The most widely noted candidate of 2010 was “fair’s wheel” for “Ferris wheel.” It’s cousin “fairies’ wheel” also got multiple nods.

A clothes second to “fair’s wheel” was “close pins” for “clothes pins.”

At least three of us sent nods in the directions of

redonedone << redundant
circumwent << circumvent
clawfish << crawfish
go inside << coincide
mink condition << mint condition

These eggcorns were on end-of-the-year lists for more than one of us:

ache out << eke out
arrow dynamic << aerodynamic
centilla << scintilla
country banned << contraband
death wormed over << death warmed over
Earl grade tea << Earl Grey tea
fazer << phaser
fightsy << feisty
jejeune << jejune
limpet pool << limpid pool
promise sorry note << promissory note
red heron << red herring
sexpit/sexpool << cesspit/cesspool
sizemic shift << seismic shift
so merrily << summarily
unrequired << unrequited


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

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