Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
I think we’re all familiar with the common phrase “turkey with all the trimmings”. Recently an email from a friend included this:
It’s ham with all the trappings.
An Internet search turned up a few examples, for instance:
I have fond memories of Thanksgiving meals with the family, enjoying some turkey with all the trappings, cranberry sauce and especially pumpkin pie for dessert.
article
Most of us sit down around the table and enjoy heaping portions of turkey with all the trappings . . . stuffing and mashed potatoes . . . flaky biscuits lathered with butter and honey . . . and creamy pumpkin pie topped high with whipped creme.
blog
Traditional Turkey with all the Trappings
-stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes
FB event invitation
Merriam-Webster says:Afterwards, the family return to Sandringham House for their Christmas dinner including a Norfolk turkey with all the trappings, before settling down to watch the Queen’s festive speech.
royal twaddle
trappings plural : outward decoration or dress : ornamental equipment
The meaning connection seems clear. Eggcorn, sez I.
Last edited by Dixon Wragg (2019-01-08 02:56:35)
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Unsure. “All the trappings” is an idiom in its own right and could be employed without thinking about “all the trimmings.”
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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kem wrote:
Unsure. “All the trappings” is an idiom in its own right and could be employed without thinking about “all the trimmings.”
Agreed. But I have always heard people say, e.g., “turkey with all the trimmings” and never, until I stumbled upon the example that sparked this thread, ”[meat] with all the trappings.” Has your experience been different in that respect? Do we have regional differences?
And, in my experience, “trappings” has been more likely written than said; I think it’s relatively rare in conversation. I’ve always seen it referring to the accoutrements that distinguish a butcher, baker, candlestick maker, etc.—and never seen “trimmings” used that way.
Also, the Google Ngram viewer shows “turkey with all the trimmings” recently topping a frequency of .000000550%, and doesn’t find a single example of “turkey with all the trappings”.
So to me, the default assumption for this one is eggcorn unless there’s reason to believe otherwise.
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