Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
The recent discussion of “shitloads”/”shedloads” got me thinking about the role of euphemism in producing eggcorns. And that led me to look for other substitutions for “shit” in various phrases. I found about 15 unique examples of variations on “happy as a pig in spit” for “happy as a pig in shit.” A few of those are obviously euphemistic. But I think some of the writers may simply understand the phrase as involving spit; the examples below all seem authentic. Can’t be sure, however. Puns can be a way of conforming to perceived canons of decency while still implying what you really want to say.
The spit substitution actually works pretty well. “Spit” and “shit” are both involved in the digestive process, and both words effectively produce a visual gross-out in the mind’s eye. Examples:
I am happy as a little pig in spit just to waste time and fill out my new vox profile just as long as I am lying in bed.
http://spill.vox.com/
(But then again, for referance my ‘84 KLR w/ many miles on it, burns about 1/2qt in about 500miles and i’m happy as a pig in spit! :) )
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums … 18761.html
I like the food most people like. So, I’m happy as a pig in spit at WDW. The portions are still too big for me to finish anything they give me, so I’m not complaining there, either.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php … 095&page=3
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What a bizzare usage. When I hear “pig in spit” the first thing I think of is “pig on a spit”—i.e., a pig carcass held over a fire on a slender, pointed rod—which has 16,200 ghits. Could this be the source of the altered usage? (Pig in spit has just 27 ghits, but the contexts have nothing remotely related to roasting meat).
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