Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
I’m still trying to convince myself that this an eggcorn. I guess that hay that’s gone wild could be considered “out of control.” At any rate, it probably creates more of a mental picture than “haywire.” While looking for occurrences on the Web, I was a bit astonished to find what looks like an eggcornish use in a Swedish-language gaming forum. It’s very telegraphic, colloquial Swedish, however, so maybe I totally misunderstood it. Examples:
Doesn’t the odometer go haywild also?
http://www0.epinions.com/content_806181 … ow_~allcom
Then I had the problem with my period and THEN my tooth went haywild and I had it pulled yesterday.
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=135&i=222
People do go haywild sometimes and totally dismiss everything that is going on in the “Real World” and don’t realize what choices they have made until the consequences surface.
http://talk.sheknows.com/showthread.php?t=591431&page=2
Am absolutely useless at this kind of stuff and don’t really want to go haywild and install everything I see and hope for the best.
http://www.endlagnow.org/ELNForums/Topi … aspx#bm735
Om du får demoted, var god försök att förstå att det är förloradt en resonera.
Så går inte maskinskriver haywild och /gquit ögonblickligen.
[I’m not at all sure I understand, but maybe something like this: “If you get demoted, it would be a good idea [lit. “attempt”] to understand that it’s lost – but [also a good idea to] talk about it. So that the typewriter [typist?] doesn’t go haywild and quit immediately.” Or maybe something else entirely.]
http://eldiablo.se/forum/viewthread.php … read_id=41
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Nice one…
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Definitely an eggcorn. “Haywire” appears to make no sense.
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Hay wild is most likely an eggcorn. Dadge is correct in pointing out that “haywire” has virtually no tangible imagery associated with it. At least “haywild” picks up a “wild” sense. Let’s see what we can do with “hay”...
A hayride is a fun trip in a truck loaded with hay. Perhaps this might provide some inspiration for “hay wild”—since all the sounds (or their distortions) are right there in the right places. Alternatively, one could consider the effects of a person suffering from hay fever; Either way, one might easily link hay with wildness or crazy effects on people.
Finally, there may a farm-association with “hog wild”—leading to an idiom blend with “hay wire,” but I’m less convinced of this possibility. (Kinda reminds me of the discussion we had about “heyday”).
Last edited by jorkel (2007-06-20 13:23:18)
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