Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
“I was in Boy Sprouts too! Ya know. . .”
Spoken by a friend of mine, years ago. . .
Gawd I love these things. . . ( & wish I’d known about ‘em years ago! )
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Welcome, Antryg.
Do you think your friend was intentionally using the expression, or did he really believe that was the name? An eggcorn is (usually, anyway), an unintentional reshaping of an expression that carries with it an alternate image from the original. It’s hard to think your friend wouldn’t know it was “scouts,” but who knows? It’s a fun image at any rate.
Feeling quite combobulated.
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It was un-intentional, utterly.
Believe-me, he was trying to say it right, and that’s just the way it came out…
This wasn’t a mis-hearing that got established, it was a misfiring between brain & mouth, see. . .
I’ve had enough of ‘em to recognize the things. . .
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Is it possible that someone could be a boy scout and not know the proper term for it? Seems like a stretch to me.
I think “boy sprout” would only be an eggcorn if your friend had absolutely no familiarity with the term “boy scout.” Otherwise, “boy sprout” is a slip of the tongue or an intentional reshaping.
So, I’m afraid I’d need a little more convincing.
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The “Veggie Tales” folks use “Boy Sprout” intentionally.
But I’m not sure it was an eggcorn, but rather a misfiring as you described, but it’s still a funny phrase.
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