Eggcorn Forum

Discussions about eggcorns and related topics

You are not logged in.

Announcement

Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to if you wish to register.

The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.

Thanks for your understanding.

Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2007-12-14 23:42:18

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

'rarer avis' for 'rara avis'

An uncommon cross-language confusion. Examples:

But where we know well enough what a poet is, the “contrarian” is a rarer avis…
www.jamesbowman.net/articleDetail.asp?pubID=1034

Just to make sure, it was also at this time that Matthew dropped one letter to become a rarer Avis and reinvented himself as Mathew.
www.twentyfirstcenturypublishers.com/in … pageid=320

For first he played the Sonata in D Major, K 491 (a rarer avis) with transparency and cohesion.
www.nyccgs.org/resources/newsletter/arc … vita_1.php

...that rarer avis, an honest lawyer…
roups.yahoo.com/group/richardiiisocietyforum/message/8456

Offline

 

#2 2007-12-15 18:22:41

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2872

Re: 'rarer avis' for 'rara avis'

I don’t quite follow. Do you think that people who use the phrase “rare® avis” are making some reference to the Avis car rental company? If not, and they know “avis” means bird, then isn’t “rare® avis” just a misquoted Latin phrase? The English “rare” is presumably derived from “rarus.”


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

Offline

 

#3 2007-12-15 19:55:14

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

Re: 'rarer avis' for 'rara avis'

Well, there may not be much to this, but I was curious about how people reinterpreted the two syllable Latin word ‘rara.’ I agree that ‘rare avis’ isn’t an eggcorn, but ‘rarer avis’ might be.

Offline

 

#4 2007-12-16 19:15:56

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2872

Re: 'rarer avis' for 'rara avis'

Seems like I’m having one of my (increasingly frequent) dense days. How is “rarer avis” an eggcorn?


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
PunBB is © 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson
Individual posters retain the copyright to their posts.

RSS feeds: active topicsall new posts