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Chris -- 2018-04-11
On a TV show discussion forum, I saw the following:
my mil gave us$50,000 for a wedding gift….bt we would have to pay taxes on it…so since it was heirmarked for a kitchen remodel…they just paid those bills directly.
(Cafe Mom Forum J&K +8)
A Google search turned up no other instances. Eggcorn or no?
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It’s a bit unusual for an eggcorn to move from a more common word (ear) to a less common word (heir). Eggcorns also tend to favor imagery which is more concrete—and “ear” would definitely be more tangible than “heir.” Beyond that, I can’t quite figure out what else is going on here. Even eye dialect tends to follow the above rules. Exceptions are always possible, but perhaps we need to dig up some other examples to examine.
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I found one instance of “heirmarked†online. It’s from a soccer (ie, football for you non-yanks) discussion forum, and it sorta works in context:
Diaby has been heirmarked for Flaminis position but he is injured, he is very similar ro
http://www.topix.com/forum/afam/TDQOJ3SUPNSVF155M/p6
It’s as if Diaby is going to inherit the position from Flamini. Obviously, this substitution would be less eggcornish for lots of places where “earmarked†is used.
Besides, an outlay of Rs. 150.00 crore has been yearmarked by the State Govt. for the Tenth Five Year Plan including an outlay of Rs. 15.00 crore for the Year 2002-03 for the construction of non residential and residential buildings at division/districts and tehsil level.
http://planning.up.nic.in/annualplan020 … t2-c02.htm
But again, other uses seem less obviously eggcornish:
Moreover, this particular land is yearmarked for setting up ” Model Training Institute on Driving and Research” of the State.
http://www.rishabhdara.com/sc/view.php?case=88096
And then there are many examples where the writer seems to mean “scheduled for a particular year/time†rather than “earmarked†in its usual sense:
“For the first time in Sri Lanka a bio mass power plant of 10-megawatt capacity (an investment of US $ 8.5 million) has been yearmarked for 2007. This bio mass power plant using discarded paddy husks will fully meet the energy requirements of their factory.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/01/18/bus02.htm
Interestingly, the three egs. I’ve given here are all from more or less South Asia – Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka – and though I found egs of “yearmarked†from all over, a disproportionately large number are from this area. Looks like it’s quietly turning into a regionalism – in both its senses.
Last edited by patschwieterman (2008-12-10 00:06:07)
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