Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
You are not logged in.
Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to
The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
About 2100 raw ghits. The users of this one seem to be thinking of the small lengths of wire that form the chains in a chain-link fence. I wonder whether there are any other link/length substitutions out there. In any case, I especially like the last quotation below because it employs the word “swale.” As a life-long Californian who loves rare words, I’m aware of the Eastern dialectal word “swale” but I’ve never heard anyone use it – it just doesn’t seem to exist out here. (And this seems like a mildly odd use of “swale,” but what would a stupid Westerner know….) Examples:
The fence goes around three sides of the building, which are visible from the street, while a chain length fence guards the back.
“There are neat facts about the fence,” said Freeman, but he is saving those details for the October family event when visitors use that information for games.
http://www.dailysoutherner.com/local/lo … art:int=15
He builds wood privacy fences and ornamental steel fences and chain length fences.
http://www.davesfence.com/work.html
Mr. Dowling asked if they were changing anything where the chain length fence runs.
http://www.townofmountpleasant.com/inde … t587.28493
CHARLES OGLESBY stated that he would consider a chain length fence over the swale.
http://cosweb.cityofshawnee.org/web/min … enDocument
Last edited by patschwieterman (2007-06-22 01:48:25)
Offline
Or they’re thinking of the lengths of yard that the fence will enclose?
Bcs if I’m not mistaken, a chain-link fence is one of the cheaper methods, and so good for particularly long lengths of yard (yet not so great for short, short stretches, like a the corners). So perhaps the emphasis is on the length of the run?
(Your enjoyment of the word “swale” reminds me of my reaction to “berm.”)
Offline
That might well be the case. Sometimes I feel like emailing some of these people and asking, “Excuse me, I mean no offense, but what imagery came to your mind when you used that phrase in your on-line ad?”
A “chain” is also an old unit of measurement, but I’m not sure that general public is aware of that. (Though the people at davesfence.com might be.) Here’s the OED entry from definition 9b. for “chain”:
b. A chain’s length, as a lineal measure, equal to 66 feet, or 4 poles.
An area of ten chains in length by one in breadth, or 100,000 square links = an acre.
You really do learn something new every day. The area of an “acre” is apparently based on the “chain” as a measure. Didn’t know that.
Offline
I have heard “length of chain”. Perhaps a holdover from what you reference, but I’ve only heard it used for smaller lengths, as in, “Get me a ten foot length of chain from over there by the workbench.” I’ve also heard “length of rope” used this way. I was wondering if the the eggcorn imagery involves this concept, a fence whose interwoven wires resemble lengths of chain?
Offline
That’s true, you buy this fencing in lengths.
Offline