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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2006-10-17 15:03:45

GKBaker
Member
Registered: 2006-10-13
Posts: 2

to accel in life vs. to excel in life

I’m new to this site and am not certain this qualifies as an eggcorn. I first saw this expression in a thank-you note from a close family member years ago and have never forgotten it. Then a colleague told me about eggcorns and it came to mind. I googled it and had a handful of hits, two of which I give here:

This project involved technology which is very important to know how to use if you want to accel in life. <http://www.k12.hi.us/~rfujimot/Period%203/Crime%20-%20Violence/alan3.htm>

It must be so difficult to accel in life when all you know at home is considered wrong by the general public and the police… <http://www.420times.com/forums/general-420-talk/167-best-arguements-legalize-weed.html>

Clearly the confusion stems from “accelerate” and a certain semantic felicity that comes of American culture’s association of success and progress with speed. And I imagine a lot of people don’t really see the word “excellent” as being morphologically complex or derived from the verb “to excel” (and it’s not, I guess, since the process isn’t productive).

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