Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Spotted “act as a figured head” in an essay by my 15-year-old daughter, and guessed tis was likely to be an error found elsewhere. Sure enough, it’s in Wikipedia
“it must have been clear to the 69 year old general from the start that he was but a figured head” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Seyffardt)
and elsewhere
“Prince Harry has unwittingly become a figured head for a new British Imperialism” (http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/22442-post25.html)
“I think we have wildly different views on what is expected of a figured head of a company like Mozilla.” (https://twitter.com/DanielFore/status/4 … 7899232256)
“The first attempt was with Napolean who also was used to as a figured head to further world domination agendas.” (http://thepromiserevealed.com/history-o … e-program/)
“He is a figured head for the people of Greece and a warrior and a true legend.” (http://reelandunscripted.com/hercules-2014/)
Eggcorn status, I suggest, comes from people not knowing what a real “figurehead” was – the carved object at the prow of a ship – and misinterprete/reinterprete the phrase as “figured head”, “head that has been figured”, meaning “head that is made significant”.
“Figured heads” are, of course, actually a thing: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0fxM … 22&f=false
Last edited by terrycollmann (2014-09-15 11:41:21)
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