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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-05-02 14:46:17

jorkel
Eggcornista
Registered: 2006-08-08
Posts: 1456

Pesty/pesky

I was about to post “pesty” as an eggcorn of “pesky,” but apparently both are legitimate words meaning “troublesome, annoying.” “Pesty” seems far less common to my ear—429k ghits vs. 5,730k ghits for “pesky—but it’s there in the OED. Also, “pesky” seems to have derived from “pesty” anyway. (How ironic that I would think “pesty” is the eggcorn). Sorry if this rambling post has turned out to be nothing less than… pesky.

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#2 2007-05-04 11:57:16

Peter Forster
Eggcornista
From: UK
Registered: 2006-09-06
Posts: 1222

Re: Pesty/pesky

I’m wondering whether ‘pesky’ might somehow have some connectiion with the word ‘pisky’, which is Cornish for ‘pixie’. Many Cornish went West to escape from a variety of ills and I would like to think of this as some tiny survival of their language and culture. That doesn’t make it true of course, but the traditional role and attributes of these little creatures seems strangely appropriate…

Pisky is Cornish for Pixie. To be “pisky”- led is to be led around in circles and have your shoelaces tied together. If you were really unlucky, ...
pisky.net/ – 23k – Cached

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#3 2007-05-07 13:37:27

tannerpittman
Member
Registered: 2007-03-28
Posts: 28

Re: Pesty/pesky

I still say you’re on to an eggcorn.

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