midriff » midrift

Classification: English – final d/t-deletion

Analyzed or reported by:

  • Hilary Robinson (link)
  • Paul Brians (link)
  • Peter Forster, calamityjane01 (link)

Suggested to me by Rachel Cristy, 13 August 2007. Earlier reports above.

Brians: “Midriff” derives from “mid-” and a very old word for the belly. Fashions which bare the belly expose the midriff. People think of the gap being created by scanty tops and bottoms as a rift, and mistakenly call it a “midrift” instead. In earlier centuries, before belly-baring was in, the midriff was also the piece of cloth which covered the area.

AMZ: It’s possible that this interpretation is encouraged by viewing the “midriff” pronunciation as the product of final t-deletion.

| Comments Off link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2007/08/13 |

tract » track

Classification: English – final d/t-deletion

Spotted in the wild:

  • Historic farms were self contained and self supporting consisting of different tracks of land. (link)
  • Moreover, there are huge tracks of idle land in the country that is owned by individuals who inherited them from their predecessors. The unfortunate thing about these tracks of land is that they have been fenced off making it impossible for anyone to utilise them – in any case the lawyers would advise the owners not to let others use the land and to avoid the passing of ownership by adverse possession, etc. (link)
  • Environmentalists also demand that vast tracks of land be put into wilderness areas without roads and prohibit vehicles of any sort. (link)
| 2 comments | link | entered by David Romano, 2005/08/11 |
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