Eggcorn Forum

“Bane,” an old word for poison, eventually developed a more general sense of “curse.” By the nineteenth century an English idiom, “the bane of Xs life/existence,” had settled into in the language. Charlotte Bronte used it her novel Villette: “She who had been the bane of his life.”

The idiom is still with us today. But “bane” is not a common word. Some people, it seems, insert the more familiar word “pain” into the idiom. Examples:

A fan’s attempt at science fiction: “Amethyst meet Dib the revolting big headed humanoid that has been the pain of my existence ever since I first landed on Earth.” (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4351513/1/Zims_Future)

A craft forum: “Fold card blanks is the pain of my life!! It may well be that the card that you have is just a bit too thick for folding if it still isn’t good even when you have scored it.” http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8268()

Customer comment on cleaning product: “My dining room table is big and has a glass top, which was the pain of my life, especially after a dinner party – no problem now. As you can imagine I wash it out after each use. ” (http://www.trasan.com/d.cgi/99585/comments.html)

Forum post: “I hate to say it because war planes are the pain of my life…but hubby knows his stuff…and he does make really good detailed planes…” (http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=482749)

Canadian blog: “Email – the pain of my life. Not only can I get 25 in an hour while people are planning the next social activity ” (http://poshgoescanadian.blogspot.com/)

Last edited by kem (2008-07-16 17:20:25)