Eggcorn Forum

Salts of cobalt are used in the preparation of color pigments. Several pigments that are compounded from cobalt salts contain the word “cobalt” as part of their names. The most widely-used of these pigments is cobalt blue, prepared by heating a mixture of powdered cobalt and powdered aluminum oxide. Because of cobalt’s close association with this blue pigment, most people think that cobalt, which is actually a grey-red metallic ore, is blue. You can see some examples of the cobalt blue hue on the web [The exact color you see, of course, depends on the fidelity of your computer monitor, the quality of your optical wetware, and the tint of your contacts.]. Cobalt blue is a preferred coloring agent for high quality glassware.

The word “cobalt” has a fascinating history. English borrowed it from German in the nineteenth century. In the Harz Mountains of Germany there was a legend about a demon named “Kobold” who haunted the mines of the region. The mines contained great quantities of a worthless mineral that caused health problems for those who worked around it, so the miners gave the substance the name of the demon (Miners did not know it at the time, but it was actually the impurities in the mineral, not the mineral itself, that was affecting the health of the workers.).

Coal, like some cobalt compounds, can also appear to be a dark blue. Anthracite coal is sometimes called “blue coal.” Perhaps this is the reason why some people spell “cobalt” as “coalbalt.”

Several dozen ughits. Examples:

Car repair forum: “I was able to get it out with an easy out and a coalbalt drill bit.”

Ad for antiques: “Handpainted English coalbalt vase with pink roses and gold trim ” [I note also that the world “coalbalt” occurs in a dozen expired ebay ads that I can no longer view.]

Tin toy collector site: “This robot is metallic coalbalt blue with red arms and feet. ”

Last edited by kem (2009-07-09 11:21:40)