Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
Fleet’s Enema was introduced by the C.B.Fleet Company, which was itself founded in the 19th century by a pharmacist named Charles B. Fleet. (The company is still in business and has a website with a timeline, etc.) The semantic reinterpretation that’s going on here is, I hope, too obvious to need elaboration.
This is one eggcorn that’s more popular thah the original. (>100,000 ghits vs 1,300), so it ought to be considered mainstream or nearly so. Examples:If enema is indicated use pediatric fleet enema in children 2-10 years of age and adult fleet enema in children over 10.
www.arfpc.com/preps.html
What I wasn’t prepared for was the receptionist taking my schedule details (yesterday) telling me that I was going to have to give myself a ‘fleet enema’ ...
www.notblog.com/naginata/archives/2006_09.html
Gallium ScanDay 4: Fleet enema between 7-8 a.m.
www.universityhealth.org/body.cfm?id=38067
I mentioned hearing of some local bodybuilders using a sodium free fleet enema the night before to release some lower intestinal bloat.
bodybuilding.com/fun/monetti2.htm
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The thing is, doctor’s just lop off the ’s;
that’s the company’s NAME now. In fact, none of the products use the ’s on them.
to wit:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. … catid=9324
And it has become a generic, like frigidaire was for “refrigerator” for many years. Like Kleenex.
I’m not sure these examples are true examples of an eggcorn (which requires a change in the meaning, in the mind of the reader).
Mostly bcs these examples are originating w/ doctors, for whom this is probably NOT an eggcorn; they know of the Fleet company.
Now, if you could find someone saying something about this enema being FAST….(but of course it is, sort of, as these things go)
Probably people don’t know that it originated as a man’s name, or a company’s name. And so I can see it BECOMING an eggcorn to someone, bcs they think it means “fast” as opposed to “this type of/this company’s.”
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