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
He used to smoke like a fish.
oral history
I stumbled on this substitution (for “drink like a fish”) while researching an eggcorn. I find it amusing. How would the fish keep the cigarette lit?
To my surprise, it turns out there are lots of examples of “smoke like a fish” online. Many or most refer to a band by that name, but apparently the phrase is also a slang term referring to non-smokers, as well as being used in the opposite sense (as a substitution for “drink like a fish”).
Offline
Perhaps some blend with “smoked fish.”
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Offline
That reminds me of a time a number of years ago when a friend referred to someone as “jet blonde”, thinking that “jet” just meant “extremely”.
“I always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin
Offline
That’s good, “jet blonde.”
“Jet,†of course, is a hard, black semi-precious form of lignite, once worn as a mourning jewel. Not the rocket.
There are several examples of your “jet blonde†on the web. In addition, we have several other jetted colors:
“Baby forum:”: http://community.babycenter.com/post/a6 … ll_of_hair “My baby was born with a head full of hair. I have long thick jet black hair and my husband has jet RED hair.â€
“Web erotic fiction:”: https://www.literotica.com/s/vanessas-d … -10?page=3 “he grabbed her jet AUBURN hair and wrapped it around his hand until he had a vice handle on her head.â€
“Nineteenth century novel:”: https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=ch … wn+hair%22 “the large, dark eyes gleaming with interest, the jet-BROWN hair flecked with sun-rays that filtered through the foliage, a surpassingly lovely picture,â€
“Web fiction:”: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/311523/ … er-crimson “He had jet GREEN hair, with a violet-colored jacket.â€
“More web fiction:”: https://www.wattpad.com/60520296-the-ni … unted-team “There stood at the door way a possum like creature with black eyes and gruesome jet YELLOW hair and fur.â€
“Description of anime figure:”: http://siemens363.deviantart.com/art/Re … -163513727 “Suraimo has fairly long jet PURPLE hair tied in a spiky ponytail.â€
“Web page on hair colors:”: http://haircolorideas.org/jet-blue-hair-color.html “Jet BLUE hair color Ideas in 2016â€
“Blog entry:”: http://bigredden.blogspot.ca/2016_07_01_archive.html “Ned stood at six foot with jet GREY hair swept back over a big head and intense eyes.â€
You seem to have discovered a so-far-unrecorded shift in English usage: “jet” as a specialized intensifier for hair color. Congratulations!
Last edited by kem (2016-09-28 18:17:25)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Offline