Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Today I encountered this online:
It always amuses me when such straight laced performers try to “get down.”
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I’m sure I’ve seen this one before. It’s been in our Eggcorn Database (here) for years. I quote:
The adjective “strait†‘narrow, tight’ is pretty much restricted in modern English to the two expressions “straitjacket†and “strait-lacedâ€, which most speakers seem to find opaque; its homophone “straight†at least makes some sense, especially in “straight-lacedâ€, where there’s some possible connection to “straight†‘conventional’. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage…notes: “The straight- spellings originated as errors, and they are still regarded as errors by many people [AMZ: Brians and Cochrane among them]. Because of their common occurrence in reputable publications, however, they are recognized as standard variants in almost all current dictionaries.â€
I mention it here because it’s a good example of an eggcorn becoming so common that it becomes accepted as standard.
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I still correct people on it, though.
“I always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin
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