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
From reddit 4 years ago:
[–]ThomasGrean 2 points 4 years ago
‘Acute’ – I thought it meant small, like a small angle. Apparently its not and people thought I had extremely bad asthma.
[–][deleted] 1 point 4 years ago
That word fooled me too. Luckily I learned early on to say I have obtuse asthma.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comm … ompletely/
Acute has contranym potential. You see all the angles – you have acute intelligence. Not that saying your asthma is obtuse clears anything up.
Wait, now that I think of it, your wife has acute angina.
Offline
burred wrote:
Wait, now that I think of it, your wife has acute angina.
Now you’ve done it; you’ve gone and reminded me of this Google search I did on a whim some time ago. I searched for the term “her angina”, and got, for example:
Her angina could flare up at any time,
Do your friends and family often tell you that you should talk to your doctor about how your angina is interfering with your daily activities?
With the help of your doctor you can do a lot to treat your angina and feel better.
Her angina is getting the best of her.
After a 15-minute session, her angina calmed down and when last I heard, she was still doing better.
Her angina now is terrible. I feel like the Drs. here are blowing her off.
The Long Boot treatment relieves her angina for variable periods …
Will it help my mother to put her through Enhanced External Counterpulsation for her angina?
Offline
Acute. Not a lexicalized antagonym (contranym) yet, as you say. The popularity of the medical phrase acute angle glaucoma may contribute to the “narrow” sense of acute.
We’ve had a number of controcorns appear on the Forum—eggcorns that reverse the sense of their acorns. “Diamond dozen,” “sort the weed from the chaff,” “360-degree turn,” “as is my won’t”, “Via de la Rosa,” “fullhearty,” “undevoted attention,” “bawdlerize,” “disban,” “wreckless,” “qualm one’s fears.”
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Offline