Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2011-03-08
The OED Online Word of the Day today is pace egg. I’d never heard of them, but apparently pace egging is an auld paschal tradition from north England involving mummers, egg bouling and egg jarping. Bouling requires a steep hill; the winner’s egg maintains its integrity the longest. Similarly, the best jarper keeps her eggshell intact though it be bashed against rivals. “Jarping” is dialect word meaning “to strike against”. The original contest used hard-boiled eggs, but I see from a youtube video that not all contest eggs are so tough.
Pace eggs come preshaped for eggcorning. I was delighted to find just now that Peter has himself bowled and eaten paste eggs. Another variant that suggests itself is peace eggs. Pace eggs are so known from, ultimately, the Passover, and there is nothing more peaceful about them. The music for a Lancashire Peace Egging Song can be found, and the original “pace egging song” is heard here (click on “Play direct from The Watersons”). Sounds a bit like bluegrass, but slower and without the banjo.
Last edited by David Bird (2012-12-25 09:57:23)
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