Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
this was used in a seminar by one of my students, who was oblivious to his doubling reference.
is this an eggcorn? it feels like to me ;-)
but I’m new here, so what do I know – maybe everyone says this and I just woke up!
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There have been at least 2 posts on minefield/mindfield in the forum index, but your variant looks as if it may be an idiom-blend of some sort – some people believe that someone who is a ‘mine of information’ is really a ‘mind of information’ ie knowledgeable and well-informed which, in my book, would be an eggcorn. Your variant suggests dangerous knowledge and I’m not sure that’s what your student had in mind so I don’t think it is an eggcorn, but someone with superior powers of analysis should be along shortly to clarify the issue…
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Yes… idiom-blend is about right, I think.
I omitted the meaning she seemed to want to communicate, sorry. It was with reference to another student who was able to come up with logical and informed answers to just about any reflective query.
His contributions tended towards the apocalyptic, and made people feel rather anxious so, although she was impressed with his knowledge – and attempted to flatter him with “mine of information” – her anxiety was revealed with the slip of “minefield”. She (and others) didn’t quite know what to say without setting him off again, and were trying to tread carefully in the conversation. She laughed when she heard herself. He missed it, and started off again, explaining how it was he knew so much… and this time the feeling in the group was much lighter, as if they’d all realised he was using pellets and not real ammo.
Whether any of that makes it an eggcorn I have no idea …
Thanks!
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