Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
A partial etymology of misnomer shows it arriving from MF mesnommer to misname, so the term really refers to the use of a wrong name.
On multiple occasions I have heard “misnomer” used to mean “something mis-known” ... not just by name, but by concept. In the past I’ve simply taken this to be a malapropism, but there are actually a handful of cases where the spelling has been altered to misknowmer when conveying that sense. With the attendant spelling, I now consider this usage an eggcorn.
Examples:
What is the green dot for on the back of the quarterback’s helmet …
So as soon as the ref sees two green dots they will throw a flag for unsportmanship conduct. it is a misknowmer that only the qb can have a mic, any position can have one.
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070910101852AAyqGzf · Cached page
Are there religions out there that are fun and without the judging and …
the misknowmer that Christianity isnt fun is foolish. Jesus promised joy and renewal. this mean all the fleshly stuff we used to do that brought temporal “happiness” are replaced …
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070403040713AA8MCdd · Cached page
Ilocano Blogs
For me, it’s a misknowmer to use the expression “I love you because…” Why? Because we apparently try to equate a “condition” on why we love someone.
iluko.com/BlogComments.aspx?BlogID=904 · Cached page
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I wonder where the m comes from on this derivation. Of course there is no obligation for people to identify all the pieces of the words they parse.
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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Misknowmer is great, it makes a pair with reknowned.
The mis- prefix is vulnerable to confusion as well, as you know. Take the self-referential misstake.
Ultralight fly-ins
Isn’t the subject title, in itself, a missed nomer?
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FLY-UL/message/53267)
But what I want to look at is the transformation to “misnoma”.
comment on Economics blog
On top of all of that we have the morass of sophisticated models fed by Information Technology. Now there’s a missnoma if there ever was one.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters … _down.html)
Video comment
global warming is a misnoma
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZw8yF5alkM)
Comic artist
Super misnoma: The Big Bang, or, as pessemists would have it, The Big Suck.
(http://theflowfieldunity.com/2006/07/30/super-misnoma/)
Blogspot
Well, ‘truth’ is a misnoma.
(http://vergeofthinking.blogspot.com/200 … nable.html)
Hotel review
I think ‘Quality’ hotel is a misnoma.
(http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservat … n_Tyne.htm)
Again, it’s self-reflexive. And it’s clearly non rhotic. But what’s the motivation? Blending with melanoma? Oklahoma?
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The suffix – oma ‘sickness, morbid condition’ may be involved: melanoma, sarcoma, scleroma ; seems like there’re several others that aren’t jumping to my torpid mind at the momant.
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2010-03-06 17:25:51)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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