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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2011-03-13 19:41:50

brians
Member
Registered: 2006-03-29
Posts: 22

Marinate on

I’ve heard “marinate on” used instead of “meditate on” twice recently—just now on the Tavis Smiley Show on NPR.

It seems to be pretty common in writing as well.

Videos That Give You Something to Marinate On…
http://dotheknowledge.com/transcend/vid … arinate-on

Marinate On This!
http://www.shekinahglorypwt.com/index.php?iLD=mot

So, now that you’ve had some time to marinate on it, can you think of anyone more authentic than Kid Rock?
http://www.formspring.me/jeffgerstmann/ … 1097318607

Go on and marinate on that for a minute
http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/O/outkas … lyrics.htm

This blogger grasps the difference between “marinate” and “marinade” but misses “meditate” altogether:
http://www.clevelandsaplum.com/2009/11/ … t-for.html

An AP story by Ronald Blum quotes Jerry Manuel as saying “we have to review and kind of marinate on why we don’t make it.” But the AP obviously knows better than the speaker, because it put “Marinate” in quotation marks in the title.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/ba … anuel.html

Some people clearly think they “marinate” and “meditate” are near-synonyms, because they’ll use them together:

I had all of this downtime to really marinate and meditate on what I wanted in my life.
http://business.transworld.net/41284/fe … e-wallace/

Marinate and Meditate on this
http://holysession.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html

The phrase has become common enough so that it is even used in a rap song:
We marinate and meditate on wheels of steel.
http://www.lyricsbay.com/walk_on_clouds … n_eso.html

The logic that makes this an eggcorn seems fairly clear. You are letting ideas soak into your brain when you “marinate” on them.

The only context I can think of in which “marinate on” would be standard English usage is something like “leave the chicken to marinate on the counter while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.”

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#2 2011-03-13 21:15:09

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2850

Re: Marinate on

I’m wondering if these usages are unintentional. Might the speakers be using them tongue-in-cheek?


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

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#3 2011-03-13 21:21:08

brians
Member
Registered: 2006-03-29
Posts: 22

Re: Marinate on

A few people use “marinate” as a joke, but many of the examples I’ve found look very sincere, particularly the religious ones.

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#4 2011-04-01 18:56:26

ilpirata
Member
From: NC
Registered: 2008-08-07
Posts: 12

Re: Marinate on

Might this also have some connection with “ruminate on” as well? Is that kind of consonant-swapping considered a valid eggcorn?

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#5 2011-04-01 19:21:56

burred
Eggcornista
From: Montreal
Registered: 2008-03-17
Posts: 1112

Re: Marinate on

I was saving this for my “April 1—Bring out your nonces” post, but it’s better here. I pegged it as a blend of mature and marinate. At least I hoped that’s what it was. It might also be, it occurs to me now seeing your post, ilpirata, as you say, a simultaneous blend/eggcorn squash/metathesis of marinate and ruminate.

I just love Flavors and the way they murinate in my mouth.
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/in … 659AA1WHJL

Last edited by burred (2011-04-02 07:45:20)

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