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Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-12-07 12:06:07

Peter Forster
Eggcornista
From: UK
Registered: 2006-09-06
Posts: 1222

"stare crazy" for "stir crazy"

If you didn’t know that ‘stir’ can be used to mean ‘prison’ then ‘stir crazy’, an intense frustration caused by protracted confinement, could be misinterpreteted as ‘stare crazy’. The mad as well as the bad and dangerous can often be detected by their unusual, unconventional or simply inappropriate eye contact. ‘Cabin fever’ sufferers, and the ‘stir crazy’ might well appear ‘stare crazy’ too. The expression ‘stark staring mad’ may have some background influence too. Much usage suggests a ‘madness’ brought on by looking too hard or too long at the same thing.

Not quite two weeks and I am going stare crazy and feeling cooped up. Actually had to really think hard about whether or not to take the short walk to the …
www.hystersisters.com/vb2/showthread.php?t=272968 – 73k – Cached –

This was OK with her – but meanwhile she was going stare-crazy just looking at the four walls and having no one to talk with. So would he mind, ...
www.drmckenzie.com/cgibin/htmlos.cgi/00 … 2056597019 – 29k – Cached

Am I going stare crazy or will this madness pass once I have something more substantial to gawp at? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif). Profile Card PM …
www.marinefish-uk.co.uk/forums/index.ph … opic=13011 – 95k – Cached

Sick of these 4 walls ….. [Archive] – No More PanicI think I’m going stare crazy. I’ve been cooped up in the house, sat in front of this computer for 14 hours a day for about the last 5 weeks. ...
www.nomorepanic.co.uk/archive/index.php?t-16567.html – 10k – Cached

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#2 2007-12-07 22:01:56

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

Re: "stare crazy" for "stir crazy"

Great find, Peter—I think this one is an instant classic. Your examples persuasively link the feeling of being cooped up to the tedium of staring at the same four walls (or computer screen).

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#3 2017-12-18 15:05:00

Dixon Wragg
Eggcornista
From: Cotati, California
Registered: 2008-07-04
Posts: 1375

Re: "stare crazy" for "stir crazy"

I encountered this on Facebook a day or two ago:

You’re being a troll. Please stop staring the pot.

There are a number of examples of this variation online:

As of now, the only thing I hear is protesting and staring the pot which believe is what they really want to do.
comment thread

I loved seeing Denise’s and Dev’s friendship through the years and Dev becoming more a part of the family as the episode progressed to the point of gossiping with Denise’ mom and aunt and staring the pot at dinner.
TV show discussion

Stop staring the pot boz that’s petty
tweet

Ruth Patterson, a proper bitter bastard, always staring the pot, evil woman!
political rant

Klopp is staring the pot so to mix all the best ingredients throughout the dish, he knows exactly what the methods are to his madness.
sports discussion

This country is on the verge of the Civil War. And people like Al Sharpton are the ones who were staring the pot.
right-winging it

I get an image of someone staring at a pot while stirring it. The proverbial “watched pot” may figure into this for some perps. I think this works as an eggcorn regardless of whether the acornic pot-stirring is literal or metaphorical.

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