Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
At a skating rink, one skates in a circular or ring-shaped pattern, so the substitution is natural (but ‘ring’ and ‘rink’ have distinct etymologies). It’s very common- the phrase ‘skating ring’ gets over 29k ghits:
What a fun and wonderful time we had at the ice skating ring!
www.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu/~lim/ice.html
In addition to the Christmas Market the ice-skating ring offers fun for all.
This year for the first time a separate small skating ring invites toddlers …
www.visitbelgium.com/mediaroom/ChristmasMarkets.htm
It has a skating ring, and a large area dedicated to children’s games and amenities.
www.wcities.com/en/record/229,35320/100/record.html
We are to meet by the skating ring and eat at Wallabies in Dallas. When she
mentioned the skating ring in Dallas, I thought of the Plaza of America …
www.devotions.net/devotions/files/2000/03mar/27.htm
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You inspired me to go looking for “throw his/her hat in/into the rink” and “rink of disaster.”
Over 100 ghits for “hat into the rink,” 70 for “hat in the rink,” and 24 for “name in the rink.” Two of my examples appear to be Canadian, and I wonder whether the national sport has had an influence on the expression. Of course there are many hockey-related joke entries. Egs:
There’s talk now that former Senator Carol Mosley-Braun of Illinois may throw her hat in the rink.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ … cf.00.html
Held was unable to say how many hats were needed, or whether LeClair’s hat trick had netted enough, so think twice the next time you feel like throwing your hat into the rink.
http://citypaper.net/articles/032196/article013.shtml
She noted she has thrown her hat in the rink a bit later than the other five candidates, but has experienced a good level of support already.
http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/story.php?id=125332
If I was one of your MPP’s, up for re-election, I would think twice before I put my name and “hat” in the rink, especially now that you intend to run again….
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:Sz_ … k%22&hl=en
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The first “rink of disaster” hit suggests the speaker is thinking of the “skating on thin ice” expression, but since it’s a quotation in a NYT review of a book, it’s probably a case of a self-consciously literary eggcorn. (And I worry a bit about reshapings that depend on the deletion of one letter—they may just be typos.) Egs:
Aunt Eula cooks and worries, feels she is ‘’skating on the rink of disaster,’’ and no wonder: her husband, Melvin, was killed 20 years ago in a tractor accident.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/12/r … ruryt.html
We’ve pulled the economy away from the rink of disaster, but things went slower than expected.
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V105/N58/econ.58n.html
Millions live on the rink of disaster in South Asia, Africa and elsewhere because they are deprived of land by a powerful few, trapped in the grip of debt, or miserably paid.
http://www.mrdf.org.uk/Resources/Out_of … Hunger.htm
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