Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
Google hits on Sept 9, 2006
261,000 “tenuous at best”
325 “strenuous at best”
Analysis by Joe Krozel
I was looking for a context where “strenuous” might be used as an eggcorn of “tenuous” and decided that tacking on “at best” might provide the necessary boost. Let’s see how I do…
“Tenuous” means “having little substance, weak.” And, it is very common to hear comparisons and such described as “tenuous at best.”
“Strenuous” means “calling for energy or stamina.” To call something “strenuous at best” would only make sense in contexts where something requires an inordinate amount of energy to accomplish… typically tasks of physical exertion.
In the examples below, “strenuous” is used as a modifier (adjective) of things that would be better described as “tenuous.” This includes: “comparing” (gerund), “tie”, “tie-in”, “comparisons”, “evidence”, “peace”, “to connect” (infinitive), and “link”, respectively. This word-substitution would normally be classified as a malapropism except for the writers’ implication that an inordinate amount of energy would be needed to complete the related tasks.
Examples:
Rotten Tomatoes: The Vine: HereticAlso, comparing a directors works is strenuous at best because most of the time they are working with completely different ideas and circumstances than they …
www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_vie … lid=197084 – 73k – Cached – Similar pages
The Burroughs Proceedings: A Cut-and-Paste Adventure by Matte …the tie between the word and know became strenuous at best as we moved further into territory we never knew existed: the pages turning faster then we could …
matte.elsbernd.net/writings/experiments/burroughs/one.html – 10k – Cached – Similar pages
SF Signal: In Case You Missed It…So there’s the tie-in; I know, it’s strenuous at best… Posted by Peter at Monday February 02, 2004 – 5:16 PM | TrackBack (0) | Category: TV. Comments …
www.sfsignal.com/archives/000436.html – 16k – Cached – Similar pages
American Outlaws Listing at Box Office ProphetsComparisons to A Knight’s Tale can be made, but they are strenuous at best. A Knight’s Tale had a tremendous ad campaign behind it, and while a bit …
www.boxofficeprophets.com/tickermaster/ … m?tmID=177 – 28k – Cached – Similar pages
The Comte de GabalisThough the evidence is strenuous at best, there is the possibility that the Sinclairs, builders of the chapel, were influenced by esoteric thinking from …
www.perillos.com/gabalis.html – 31k – Cached – Similar pages
IDSnews.comThus far, the peace has been strenuous at best, non-existent at worse. Within 48 hours of the official truce, members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade opened …
www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?id=27710 – 42k – Cached – Similar pages
What the “fundamentals†were » Radical CongruencyTo connect it with the bible is strenuous at best. 1Timothy 3:16: This verse is very plain. It says that God inspired all scripture. ...
www.radicalcongruency.com/20030916-what … ntals-were – 118k – Sep 8, 2006 – Cached – Similar pages
NoLogo | Sharon, Le Pen and anti-SemitismI think that the link between Le Pen and the events in the middle east is strenuous at best and at worst irrelevent. Voter apathy in Europe is due to …
www.nologo.org/features/02/04/24/1319201.shtml – 459k – Cached – Similar pages
Offline