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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-12-01 04:24:21

Breffni
Member
Registered: 2007-11-27
Posts: 11

"toe-curdling" for "toe-curling"

Heard on Irish radio this morning, and there are currently 146 hits (some commenting on it rather than using it). Presumably it’s influenced by “blood-curdling”.

”’They still think I’m a virgin..!’ a toe-curdling line up there with Bond’s ‘Keep your hair on!’” – http://www.ajb007.co.uk/post.php?post_id=351624

“The present author has read as much of the work as he could take and found it toe-curdling embarrassing.” – http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/app-a/a-eickstedt.htm

“For Curig’s is a world of tawdry love affairs and toe-curdling crap jokes” – http://www.murrythehump.co.uk/mth007.htm

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#2 2007-12-01 12:08:09

patschwieterman
Administrator
From: California
Registered: 2005-10-25
Posts: 1680

Re: "toe-curdling" for "toe-curling"

A great, entertaining find, and I think your link to “blood-curdling” is spot on. I think the test of eggcornicity for this one will depend on whether we can convince ourselves that people using it fully understand what “curdling” usually means. It’s a lot easier to envision curdled blood than curdled toes. Then again, the latter image is suitably horrific.

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