Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
If these plants were a little more picturesque it would be easier to understand the substitution of ‘picture’ for ‘pitcher’; some examples actually mention the pitchers but insist on ‘picture’ when naming the plant and some confusion about the spelling of ‘pitcher’ is evident at times, so I suggest this without much confidence…
The Monkey Cup or Nepenthes sometimes called the Picture plant has jug like traps, when an insect descends into the trap to find food, downward pointing …
www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/openspace … arden.html – 12k – Cached
Some plants, such as the picture plant and sundew, are insectivorous. Plants range in size from the small moss plants to the giant sequoias. ...
www.chs.k12.nf.ca/science/b3201/WebCT-C … it2-07.htm – 41k – Cached
i just bought a picture plant about four days ago it has pitcher hanging from the leaves.when i bought it had a lot of baby pictures hanging on it, ...
davesgarden.com/forums/t/512793/
Insects will find their way down into this leafed pitcher and usually will come to their end; but, in the process, supplies the needs of the picture plant …
www.crisscross.com/forum/m_941415/printable.htm – 16k – Cached
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Ewer joking, right?
My confidence that it’s not an eggcorn got eroded by a night’s sleep. At first, I couldn’t picture the image conceived by anyone who looks at these jug-shaped plants and fails to come up with “pitcher.” But this morning it occurred to me this morning that it’s possible they’re thinking of the plant as being like one of those photo booths you used to see in grocery stores, K-Marts, and the like—the insects go in, it gets dark, and things develop.
So either this is an eggcorn or I just developed a false etymology for this malapropism.
Last edited by huevomaiztro (2007-07-07 10:45:12)
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