Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
Hello. I’m new to this forum, so I hope I’m using it correctly.
When I was younger I used to refer to desiccated coconut as ‘detonated coconut’. I think this might qualify as an eggcorn, as it has a certain amount of logic to it: if you blew up a coconut, I imagine the result would look pretty much like the dried stuff.
Does this qualify? I tried Googling it but I can’t find any examples of its usage on the web.
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I’d say you’ve made a convincing argument for an eggcorn. The imagery certainly works out well.
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Does it matter about the lack of written evidence though? I seem to have been the only one to make this mistake!
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Unfortunately, it probably does—as far as the Eggcorn Database is concerned. The most fascinating eggcorns derive from idiomatic language usage—usage which is well known and widespread. What makes those eggcorns so spectacular is that multiple people make the very same mistake in generating the new imagery—often on the order of tens of thousands of Google hits. Eggcorns that derive from specialized language usage—like your own example—can be just as fascinating as far as imagery goes, but I’m afraid the make-or-break point seems to come down to the prevalence of the error.
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totally off topic, but are you a Nick Drake fan, Hazey Jane?
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I am indeed. How did you guess? ;)
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