Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
dicky heart – 2000 ghits
ticky heart – 20 ghits
A heart which is ‘dicky’ is impaired in some way. Dicky, according to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, may have originated in the phrase, “as queer as Dick’s hatband” in case anyone might be interested. A ‘ticky’ heart, on the other hand, evokes the image of a mechanical clock and one in apparently reasonable condition, though a sensation of ‘ticking’ in the heart would certainly suggest a need for urgent medical investigation…
With her age and a ticky heart, being put under like that is very dangerous, but the vet said in balance it was still the better thing to do as an infection …
realmofavalonia.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html – 109k – Supplemental Result – Cached
The ticky heart, the asthma, the diabetes. I was hardly a poster child for health. Surely there must be something you can be trained for. Some little job… ...
paxnortona.notfrisco2.com/?p=4134 – 24k – Supplemental Result – Cached
Old man, ticky heart, girls too much for them…” one bouncer explained. “No need for guard. We should just get funeral men here, and you two go away. ...
arangoth.org/pipermail/blkdragon-l_arangoth.org/2004-September/000652.html – 12k – Supplemental Result – Cached
Last edited by Peter Forster (2007-06-21 01:46:10)
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It isn’t only hearts that can be ‘dicky’ – I’ve just found google hits for ‘dicky liver’ and ‘dicky kidney’ – but ‘dicky heart’ is certainly the most common collocation for this adjective. Perhaps the shift to ‘ticky’ is made easier by the common use of the word ‘ticker’ to mean heart – as in the phrase ‘dicky ticker’ – popularised by, if not originating in, the British sitcom ‘Allo, ‘Allo.
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It has suddenly occurred to me that many of Peter’s eggcorns have a distinctly British English flavor to them. Perhaps Chris—or another expert of English on that side of the Atlantic—could add some more of Peter’s contributions into the proposed list of Database adds. I’m simply not qualified to identify what usages are mainstream over there. Perhaps even Peter could pick out a few.
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