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wing » whim

Chiefly in:   on a whim and a prayer

Classification: English – questionable

Spotted in the wild:

  • It does nothing to change the impression of a club stumbling along on a whim and a prayer. (The Daily Mail, May 25, 2004, quoted by Quinion)
  • This Government went to war on a whim and a prayer. (The Guardian, July 7, 2003)
  • She has ditched Kiefer Sutherland at the altar; married Lyle Lovett on a whim and a prayer; been linked with dishy actors like Jason Patric and Daniel Day-Lewis. (CNN/Time, Sep. 17, 2001)
  • On a whim and a prayer, Webb-Waring Institute volunteer Amy Slothower wrote to Eggers last year, asking him to read and talk to a group of Denver deep-pockets to raise money for the cancer research center. (Denver Post, Mar. 18, 2001)

Analyzed or reported by:

Perhaps better classified as an idiom blend, combining “on a whim” with “on a wing and a prayer.”

(Another idiom blend involving _whim_ is the Bushism “at the whim of a hat,” combining “at a whim” with “at the drop of a hat.” But this is even further from true eggcorn status, as there is no phonetic similarity between _whim_ and _drop_.)

See also on _a wink and a prayer_.

| Comments Off link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/16 |

next door » next store

Classification: English – final d/t-deletion

Spotted in the wild:

  • Cass Sunstein was in the office next store in his very first year of teaching and we spent quality time together that year. Now Cass is a “Visiting Fellow” of the Volokh Conspiracy. Welcome to the office next door, Cass! (Randy Barnett, Volokh Conspiracy, June 22, 2004)
  • When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-store neighbor made after he left that first morning. (link)
  • He needed photos of our next store neighbor’s garbage cans. (link)
  • It’s one of those “urban nightmare stories” in which your newly befriended next store neighbor turns out to be a cold blooded mass bomber, and a mastermind who never loses. (link)
  • The best thing I can say about ‘The Girl Next Store’ is that it had all the requisite components for a Stupid Teen Movie. (link)
  • John Brooke is a tutor to the boy next store. The boy next store ’s name is Laury. (link)
  • Hiding already in the alcove was a young man who lived next store to the March’s with his grandfather. (link)
  • US 1880 Census show that Adam & Mary lived next store to Mary’s parents. (link)
  • I think of the elderly couple who lived next store to me, so in love and wondering what was happening to them physically. (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

Mark Liberman writes:

“Next store”, after a bit of consonant cluster simplification, is phonetically similar if not identical to “next door”, and “next door” is a semantically non-compositional idiom, and “store” is roughly as close to the meaning of dwelling as “door” is, so “next store” is a likely eggcorn candidate.

| Comments Off link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |

ado » adieu

Chiefly in:   without further adieu , much adieu

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • Without further adieu, here are the “Unsung Heroes,” nominated by their colleagues for going above and beyond the call of duty each and every day. (Suffolk University press release, Feb. 4, 2002)
  • And so, without further adieu, I present a senior drinking song, a toasting tune for all seniors making their way into the world outside Ann Arbor, bachelor’s degree firmly in hand. (Michigan Daily Online, Apr. 3, 1997)
  • The meeting was adjourned at 8:02, by President Barnes without much adieu. (Tulane GSSA Meeting Minutes, Nov. 5, 1998)
  • The inauguration is barely underway and already there is much adieu about George W. Bush’s next targets for democracy. (Useless-Knowledge.com, Jan. 19, 2005)

Analyzed or reported by:

This may be an eggcorn of long historical standing. See, for instance, this pun from the 1867 novel Tiger Lilies by Sidney Lanier:

“Friends, adieu, adieu!”


“Why, this,” quoth Briggs, “is surely much adieu
about nothing!”

| 3 comments | link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |

defamation » deformation

Chiefly in:   deformation of character

Classification: English – /r/-dropping

Spotted in the wild:

  • This coverage provides for protection from claims for libel, slander and deformation of character. (Catering Magazine, Jan/Feb 2005)
  • I wrote to Sen. Kerry and urged him to sue this group for slander and deformation of character. (Arianna Online, Nov. 11, 2004)

Analyzed or reported by:

| Comments Off link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |

catalytic » Cadillac

Chiefly in:   Cadillac converter

Classification: English – /t/-flapping – proper names

Spotted in the wild:

  • “We were a strong competitor throughout the competition, but then the Cadillac converter fell off, which hurt our emissions and place in the overall standings,” said Jonathan Copeland, co-captain, and vice president of SAE. (University of Wisconsin-Platteville press release, Apr. 9, 2003)
  • To take out the old one I had to unbolt from the Cadillac converter, then I ended up cutting it in half to get it out. (Explorer Street)

Analyzed or reported by:

| 1 comment | link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |
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