Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
‘Crack’ can be used in the sense of solving a problem or difficulty, and a knot can represent such a difficulty, but I see it as further evidence, albeit eggcornish, of the disappearing ‘u’ sound in BrEnglish.
Calculus itself could be a challenging course or discipline, and integration in calculus could be a hard knot to crack.
Sadio Mane made Arsenal to have a hard knot to crack by giving the second goal at 40’ just before the half time.
– ... 16th position in the English domestic league just two spots ahead of the relegation zone, it will be a hard knot to crack for the London side.
Karen Igho has challenged men to approach her, she said she is certainly not a hard knot to crack when it comes to falling in love.
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“Hard knot to crack” could also be influenced by the story of the Gordian Knot.
Also, when spoken rather than written, it’s possible perps are thinking “It’s hard not to crack”—in other words, this problem is so difficult that it’s hard not to crack when faced with it.
Last edited by Dixon Wragg (2017-04-04 23:24:05)
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the disappearing ‘u’ sound in BrEnglish
Tell me more. I know that the long “u” is endangered in BrEng (“cute” becomes “coot,” “news” becomes “noos,” etc). Is the short “u” on the block as well?
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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