Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
“curdmudgeon†for “curmudgeonâ€
The origin of “curmudgeon†is unknown, but “curd†apparently doesn’t play a role. Curds can be sour and are the product of curdling – as are curmudgeons. And the association with acid and bile probably doesn’t hurt this one, either.
Google claims 1.6 million raw hits. I think Google has lost its mind. Examples:
I recommend this album for its excellent humor, which nearly rivals that of my favorite curdmudgeon in Ambrose Bierce.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UCE6VR4TU4DX
An odd sense of humor? To the Slackoisie, perhaps, but not to the curdmudgeon.
http://druganddevicelaw.blogspot.com/20 … think.html
I don’t want to sound like a curdmudgeon, but, since the question has been raised, I will say that I do find it problematic when items are repeated unnecessarily.
http://www.frugalshopper.ca/PHPBB2/view … =6&t=18018
I hear Fidel Castro has a very high IQ and so did Niccolo Machiavelli . . . my husband has tested in the 160’s also … me, just an average curdmudgeon.
http://www.brideofrove.com/?p=282
[I’m not sure how “curdmudgeon” is being used here.]
Last edited by patschwieterman (2009-02-19 02:22:18)
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I like it. It makes the mud stand out for me too, which I can fit into the meaning in various ways.
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Of course, I tend to see a disgruntled dog in the standard form—don’t know why the mud seems less prominent to me there. Contamination from bludgeon and gudgeon too, I guess.
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Somewhat related is the following blooper, from a newspaper article at the time of Amis’ death:
Sir Kingsley Amis, known as much for his curmudgeoness as for his sharp and ironic novels
(There seem to be many thousands of ghits, some, like this, published. I think it is standard for some, though not a clear eggcorn. It treats curmudgeon as an adjective rather than a noun and coalesces two n s into one.)
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It occurred to me that Socrates was one known for his curmudgeoness. Maybe Annie Lehmann’s middle name is Xanthippe?
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2009-02-19 07:21:12)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
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Very plausible.
The word is widely misspelled as “carmudgeon,” though I can’t imagine what role “car” would play in the word.
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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