Eggcorn Forum

A mako shark is one of the true terrors of the deep. The shortfin mako, the most common of the two mako species, often reaches a length of 10 feet (3 meters) and weighs up to 1000 pounds (400+ kilos). Despite its size, the sleek, aerodynamic body of the this shark species renders it one of the speediest fish in the ocean. Makos have been implicated in several attacks on humans.

“Mako” comes from a Maori word for this type of shark. Writers, I note, have a tendency to replace “mako” with “macho,” the Spanish-derived word for an aggressive, hyper-masculine male. The switch may have a semantic rationale: if there is a macho shark, it’s a mako. Perhaps these writers are influenced by the macho figure of Ernest Hemingway–the protagonist in Hemingway’s short story “The Old Man and the Sea” does battle with a mako shark for the carcase of his prize marlin.

Thai news site: “They had no clue that they were going to create history that day, when bout 18 miles offshore, they noticed a dead swordfish floating in the water, being circled by a macho shark.”

Car forum: “like a macho shark, he bit and ran through me, i mean we were like neck and neck for .7 seconds when he got serious and left me”

Review of the movie Deep Blue Sea in the Washington Post: “Aquatica, the facility, is an oil-riggish fortress out in the ocean. And it seems top researcher, Dr. Susan McAlester (Burrows), assisted by her macho shark handler (Jane) and staff” [The film was about genetically engineered mako sharks.]

Blog entry: “The largest thresher shark was 590 pounds and the largest Macho shark was 280 pounds.”

Last edited by kem (2009-12-23 22:54:14)