Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
A sworded past looks like an embattled one, troubled, full of conflict.
Agony aunt letter
he had a really bad break-up when he was last engaged 3 years ago, it ended really really badly and he completely lost his faith in women and hates people interfereing and telling me about his sworded past.
Gamer site: History class content
In Ireland, we learn about both the French and American Revolutions, and our own sworded past, and various war engagements, generally vs the British. Nothing really on Napoleon.
Looking for Mr. Right
Dear Mr. Right… What a sworded past you and I have had.
Offline
I see “sorted past” is already in the database: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/49/sorted/
I found this example where the writer explains what she thinks it means, although I’m not seeing how she gets that from “sorted”.
Last edited by fpberger (2011-06-24 16:39:12)
Offline
I’m still trying to decide what I think about “sworded.” But I’ve never really liked the “sorted past” entry in the Database. (Amazing, I wrote “Dabatase”—a typographical spoonerism.) “Assorted past” is out there as a variant, and I think it’s better than “sorted past”—“assorted past” sounds to me like a euphemism for some unsavory entries on your CV: “I’ve got an assorted past—some good, some not so good.”
Offline
There are also lots of uses of the phrase “assorted past”. Some of these seem to generally mean that the past was a mix of good and bad, which may be influenced by the sound of “sordid past” but doesn’t really seem to be an incorrect word choice. Others, however, seem like they’re combining some of the negative sense of sordid with the “several” sense of “assorted”.
Besides his extreme views, Mr. Christen also has a bit of an assorted past: He likes to pose as a regular guy who knows what’s best for the people of Chula Vista, but he comes to us from Oregon, via Colorado. The people back in those states know what a hot-headed fringe character he really is. (References to a criminal conviction, verbal abuse of school board members, and inappropriate speech follow.)
edit—I posted this just as Pat was posting above…
Last edited by fpberger (2011-06-24 16:58:02)
Offline
I really like “sworded past”. It’s got great new imagery. It’s possible the 2nd entry is an intentional wordplay, however.
Offline
fpberger wrote:
edit—I posted this just as Pat was posting above…
Yes—the person who comes in second with a remark on variants is always the person who conscientiously goes looking for documentation…
As for “sworded past”: my dayjob involves reading about guys who go around carrying swords—and they’re usually the good guys. So my first instinct would be to hire the guy with the sworded past. But my set of associations for this may be unusual.
Offline
Assorted is better than sorted, but it’s harder to identify hits. It makes good sense with ‘details’, but is weak with ‘affair’.
Seems I was always asking questions. If something happened in the neighborhood, I had to know all the assorted details, whether they were any of my business or not. They usually weren’t.
http://brucestambaugh.wordpress.com/201 … questions/
It was a urgent message from Tim the Enchanter, whom Kate had previously had an assorted affair with, beckoning the girls to assist him.
http://kristencarson.blogspot.com/2007/ … art-1.html
Now, sworded. There are lots of hits available, so any difficulty would be with the understanding the users have of “sworded”. Here are some alternative images, sworded affairs and sworded details. Again, it might imply conflict, or pointed difficulties and spiny situations.
Wonder how many people actually know the Arma developers are the creators of OPF1?
Response: I imagine anyone with the vaguest of interests in either ArmA or OFP… due to pretty much any preview article on either mentions the whole sworded affair.
Gamer forum
Oh, I thought you were going to announce you were homosexual and had been sleeping with Henry in a sworded affair involving a marrow, a potato and a hamster?
http://www.thedugout.net/community/arch … 70140.html
In a final twist to this sworded affair, the Conservative party have given a final offer which crucially involves a referendum on the Alternative Vote system
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s … .google.ca
And what did this whole sworded affair cost the tax payer to resolve with what should have been a simple stroke of a pen?
http://v4venting.blogspot.com/2008/11/v … tment.html
When I was eighteen years old I woke up one morning with acute abdominal pains. I will not bother with all the sworded details, one thing led to another and I was rushed to hospital.
http://www.helium.com/items/206641-what … ned-to-you
Without going through all the sworded details, which is enough to turn you grey, we have been trying, even finally through the courts, to get refunds with no success.
http://www.eyeonspain.com/community-for … vatar.aspx
I don’t like listening to the sworded details of the sex life of a overrated, thick as …
Oh that horrible rap music
Offline
“sworded” for “sordid” is a classic eggcorn
Offline