Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2025-05-10
A three year old calls butterflies “flutterbys”. A pretty accurate description, and yet just a juxtaposition of consonant sounds. Does it qualify?
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Nancy, welcome to the site!
I had read that butterfly may the eggcorn of the actual, older term, flutterby. But this site (http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/butter … ology.html) disputes that and gives a different entomology, er, etymology.
An erroneous etymology claims that the word butterfly came from a metathesis of “flutterby”; however, the Old English word was buttorfleoge and a similar word occurs in Dutch, apparently because butterflies were thought to steal milk.
But “flutterby” certainly is an apt description of what a butterfly does. It’s also a pretty good example of a spoonerism.
Last edited by JonW719 (2008-10-04 16:40:03)
Feeling quite combobulated.
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JonW719 wrote:
I had read that butterfly may the eggcorn of the actual, older term, flutterby. But this site…disputes that and gives a different entomology, er, etymology.
Aaaaaaaa-hahahahahahahahahaha! Great line, Jon!
Re: flutterby—the first usage I ever saw/heard, was a purposeful play on words rather than a spoonerism. It was this lyric from the classic Genesis song “Supper’s Ready (part v, ‘Willow Farm’)”: “If you go down to Willow Farm, to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies…”, dating from 1972.
Dixon
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