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#1 2006-03-16 19:53:07

klakritz
Eggcornista
From: Winchester Massachusetts
Registered: 2005-10-25
Posts: 674

'mignons' for 'minions'

A post on today’s Leiter Report (a highly recommended group blog, by the way) makes reference to ‘the evil mignons of the right.’ Turns out, it’s a fairly common substitution, perhaps a subliminal description of sycophantic followers as pieces of meat. The 2 words share a common French etymology. Examples:

The fresh wounds between Henry and Alencon were rubbed raw by his mignons, leading to several assassinations and duels between their followers.
www.diacritica.com/degenerate/8/catherine20.html

... try living in the bible belt and having to listen to people saying that you’re “going to hell because the beatles are evil, drug using, mignons of satan himself …
www.beatlelinks.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1855

Most of the generals were originally Circassian slaves, the mignons of some great man in the days of their youth.
www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/185 … e/ch03.htm

There is one man with legions of mignons ready to brainwash, ready to lie, and ready to promote …
www.mukilteobeacon.com/101304letters.html

Musa shares a dorm with her best friend, Tecna, and her pixie, Tune. ... and the others as they try to defeat Lord Darkar and his evil mignons.
search.xanga.com/searchxanga.aspx?q=pixies&p=1&s=1

Speaking of evil mignons of the avian world, this one just may take the cake. greentuna.blogspot.com/2004_04_01_greentuna_archive.html

The neocons had a plan to invade Iraq since 1995 and Bush was their puppet President allowing Cheney and his evil mignons to illegally invade Iraq!
thinkprogress.org/2005/11/07/bush-clinton-iraq/

on several occasions, Lego technology even helped GI Joe defeat The Cobra Commander and his evil mignons and foil their terroristic plot …
www.thestompinggrounds.org/forums/index … getnewpost

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#2 2006-03-19 05:03:55

Leflyman
Member
Registered: 2006-03-15
Posts: 3

Re: 'mignons' for 'minions'

Actually, “mignons” may just be a malapropism. It’s the original French, meaning “nice” (in the sense of “small”) or “darling”—from which the word “minions” is derived. Websters says (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=mignon):

“mignon”

\Mi”gnon\, a. [F.] See 3d Minion.

Which itself is:
“One who is highly esteemed or favored; a darling.”

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