Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
This should have been a goody. The original is a slight archaism, which challenges a listener to connect it to the right etymology: the reworking makes more than enough sense: “Un be announced to me”__“Without me being told”; the pronunciation is a very close fit.
Mokuba, un-be-announced to me, has paid for everything with my money
he has recruited Mark un be-announced to Mark to be the brains behind…
But these are just about the only examples I’ve found!
On the plain in Spain where it mainly rains.
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But “unbenounced” has multiple hits, including comments from people who were sure it was the word.
On the plain in Spain where it mainly rains.
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Un be believable. That has got to be one of the strangest and most gymnastic contortions we have come across. Great find.
It suggested another way to come to grips with unbeknownst.
fanfic: However, unbenoticed to her, Catherine is concealing a dark side.
another fanfic: Unbenoticed of the Plesiosaurus, the Dromaeosaurus had snuck on top of the Pliosaurus when no one was looking.
yet another fanfic Unbenoticed to them, a pair of visored eyes were watching their every move.
I count 40 genuine ghits for unbenoticed.
Edit: I didn’t bother to look for un be noticed. Nah. No,. Not possible…
Bearville insider: i told on girl in a PM my name, Un be noticed to me i was not sopposed to do that.
Eight real hits for un-be noticed!
Last edited by burred (2015-07-19 13:02:47)
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Here’s a slight variation:
Mick was wild and sounding in good voice, but onbeknownst to many, Ronnie had hurt his leg and was in quite a bit of pain and therefore stood still for most of the show & even sat down at one point.
account of Rolling Stones concert
BTW, the friend tried that, but onbeknownst to him, a different (and shorter) passenger on other trips kept putting the seatback upright again.
car discussion
Thurday, the older girls had counseling and originally, D17 was going to ask him into her session, onbeknownst to him.
domestic drama
I don’t see these as eggcorns. I’ve often heard people pronounce the prefix un- as “on”, so it makes sense that some would spell it that way, too. Not sure if it’s a regional pronunciation or what.
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I recently came across an email with the phrase “unpronounced to me.” I’m not positive that was an eggcorn for “unbeknownst,” but I strongly suspect so.
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