Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Researching another eggcorn, I came upon this:
And what is your favorite snake mine is the eyelash viper and fertile lance and Gaboon viper.
reptile site
“Fertile lance” is a substitution for “fer-de-lance”, a very poisonous tropical snake. It’s predictable that a French phrase unfamiliar to most anglophones would engender a substitution in English. Here are a couple more examples:
On our way back to the lodge we saw a momma and baby owl monkey, and a fertile lance, one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
travel blog
Yup, the things to remember…..
Black Palm
Black Cane
Sandbox Tree
Bushmaster Snakes
Fertile Lance Snakes…
reminiscences
I’m not sure we can claim a plausible eggcornish meaning connection here. Maybe the perps are assuming that this species of snake is especially fertile, or maybe a sort of metaphorical fertility in the sense of their venom being extremely virulent is assumed?
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Fertile lance is ingenious and hilarious. I also liked your recent fear snake entry, though fierce snake is pretty good on its own. Several fear de lances are slithering out there too.
Costa Rica offers a dazzling and at times overwhelming array of species. Coati, tree frogs, howler monkeys, fear-de-lance serpents
https://bentbrooksblog.wordpress.com/20 … -struggle/
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after all, of what importance is finding a Boa, when it could have been a feared lance or a deadly bush master.
http://www.lighthousedigest.com/digest/ … ryKey=3532
Nonce, so we caught this one early.
Last edited by burred (2015-08-20 22:43:23)
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