Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2025-05-10
“Then, from the south came the plaintiff cry of a locomotive whistle. . . . ” From a website about the Civil War Andrews’ Raid or Great Locomotive Chase.
I suppose this is only dubiously an eggcorn, since “plaintive” and “plaintiff” originate in the same Old French term—”plaintif” meaning “complaining” or “one who complains.” Still, the senses of the two words are so distinct nowadays that I can’t imagine what the writer was thinking.
I also have an idea that this has been posted before, but it didn’t show up in a search.
David
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I think this is a malapropism rather than an eggcorn, unless someone is relating the cry of a locomotive whistle to someone initiating a lawsuit.
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