Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
I spotted this one recently and did a Google search. It came up with quite a few examples. It made me chuckled, but I’m not quite sure if it qualifies as a genuine eggcorn, though.
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Google count Aug 15, 2006
546 “cut MUSTARD”
1300 “cut muster”
When something doesn’t “cut muster,” it fails to stand up to critical examination. When a person remarks that something doesn’t “cut mustard,” I’m at a loss for what image they might convey in their mind. I’m guessing that this simple word substitution fails to qualify as an eggcorn because it doesn’t conjure up a coherent image by the misquoter. Yes, one can literally cut mustard, but what does that mean?
Examples:
Don’t debate, just call namesAlso your Appeal to Authority doesn’t cut mustard; if all mathematicians said 2+2=5 the fact wouldn’t change that 2=2=4. ...
www.worldmagblog.com/blog/archives/014581.html – 99k – Cached – Similar pages
Current Publications – Gadens Lawyers AustraliaWA credit providers licensing; Introducer driven identity checks do they cut mustard? Banking and Finance Update – July 2005 …
www.gadens.com.au/Publications.asp?Cate … d=4&cid=23 – 50k – Cached – Similar pages
Copyrights & LegalWhy “hiring a marketing expert” won’t cut mustard if you want new clients… Expecting magic from a marketing expert hired for your Accounting firm? ...
www.accountancymarketing.info/copyright.html – 50k – Cached – Similar pages
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There isn’t a Database entry on “mustard the courage,” but there is a “pass muster”>>”pass mustard” entry that mentions “mustard the courage” in the comments section: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/260/pass-mustard/
David Beaver and Alex Krich also had a brief exchange on related topics back in June:
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/view … hp?pid=942
Like Jorkel, I’m not sure the muster/mustard substitution is an eggcorn, but Zwicky and Beaver both offer some support for that idea. Krich and another person cited in the Database entry suggest a hybrid with “cut the mustard.”
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Apparently there are two STANDARD (non-eggcorn) phrases:
1. pass muster, and
2. cut the mustard.
I was not convinced of the legitimacy of the latter until recently. Quoting the source below: The first recorded use of the phrase is by O Henry in 1907, in a story called The Heart of the West: “I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustardâ€. So, it looks like my earlier post is flawed, and I am left with eggcorn on my face!
Questions & Answers: Cut the mustardWhat is the origin of ‘cut the mustard’? ... The first recorded use of the phrase is by O Henry in 1907, in a story called The Heart of the West: “I looked …
www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cut1.htm – 8k – Cached – Similar pages
Last edited by jorkel (2006-08-22 12:12:26)
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