spit and image » spitting image

Classification: English – questionable – nearly mainstream – and «» in/en

Originally entered by xerby, who commented:

Just a phrase, “spitting image”, I’d heard for about forty years. And then one day someone on the radio said “spit and image” which immediately made more sense to me. In the first we could easily visualize a boy picking up his father’s bad habits(spitting…like mothers don’t spit), or if you’ve ever seen a boy walking with his dad you’d see the same gait(as well as image). In the second instance, “spit” infers a more visceral, biological, connection.
And, of course, the visual “image” stays as part of the phrase.

Most major dictionaries report that _spitting image_ is an alteration of _spit and image_. In an article in American Speech, however, Larry Horn argues that the expression was originally _spitten image_ (_spitten_ being a now-archaic dialectal form of the past participle of _spit_), and that both _spit and image_ and _spitting image_ are later reinterpretations. (The _American Speech_ link requires a subscription to Project Muse — see also Michael Quinion’s summary at World Wide Words).

Horn’s article also discusses various eggcornish reanalyses of _in_/_and_/_-in’_/_-en_, some of which appear elsewhere in the database (e.g., off the beat and path, once and a while).

| 6 comments | link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/05/04 |

off the beaten path » off the beat and path

Classification: English – and «» in/en

Spotted in the wild:

  • The town the resort is located in is off the beat and path, so there is almost no shopping near by. (from Fiske, unattributed)
  • The Dalton Highway and adjacent lands are so unique that Congress established special designations to honor and conserve their extraordinary values for both the nation and the world. Discover the Dalton or get off the beat and path by visiting the majestic wilderness that surrounds it. (BLM Alaska)
  • Was a bit hard to find the first time, since it is off the beat and path but only a block away from the major streets and a few blocks walking distance from Piazza Fiume with cafes, gelato shops, grocery stores, great pizza, theaters, etc. (Review of Hotel Galeno, Rome)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • Robert Hartwell Fiske (The Dictionary of Disagreeable English)

One of a large number of reanalyses that turn on the interpretation of an unstressed syllabic n, which could be “and”, “in”, “-en”, “-in’”, etc.

| Comments Off link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/03/29 |

once in a while » once and a while

Variant(s):  once and awhile

Classification: English – and «» in/en

Spotted in the wild:

  • My computer starts up only once and a while (Tech Support Forum)
  • “You have a warped mind. Read a book once and a while that doesn’t have a picture of Jesus on it.” (Posting by michaelav@cox.net to five Usenet newsgroups, including soc.motss, on 9 September 2005)
  • “And yes, every once and awhile, we want to see movies based on beloved religious literature or themes …” ("Missing the big picture", USA Today, 6 February 2006)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • Paul Brians (Common Errors in English)
  • Ron Butters (ADS-L posting, 15 February 2006)

I am inclined to this one myself — edited it out of a Language Log posting only yesterday (28 March 2005).

One of a large number of reanalyses that turn on the interpretation of an unstressed syllabic n, which could be “and”, “in”, “-en”, “-in’”, etc.

[Added 9 September 2005: This version of the expression might also be influenced by the idiom “once and for all”, though the two idioms are not particularly close semantically.]

[Added 15 February 2006: the alternative spelling “awhile”, in the USA Today article quoted by Ron Butters on ADS-L.]

| Comments Off link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/03/29 |

by and large » by enlarge

Classification: English – and «» in/en

I found this in the comments to a blog (I didn’t note which one). I collect what I call ‘bloggos’ - unusual word usages I find that seem to pop up often in blogs. The complete sentence was:

I don’t have the numbers, but by enlarge, I believe older guys date younger girls.

All I can remember is that the writer seemed very literate, aside from this one slip. A Google search finds over 50,000 hits for the expression, including, for example:

Endoscopic drainage, by enlarge, fails to achieve these principles

which comes from an academic paper, here:

http://www.joplink.net/prev/200311/01.html

| 1 comment | link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/03/17 |

blackened » black and

Chiefly in:   black and red fish

Variant(s):  black and redfish

Classification: English – and «» in/en

Spotted in the wild:

  • Well, the Paul Prudhomme, I suppose, would be the—the poster boy for how to decimate a species, the Black and Red Fish craze of years gone by for all the finest eateries in New Orleans, was based upon purse-seining of brood stock of Red Fish out in the Gulf of Mexico, Shandler(?) Channel and other places like that. (Texas Legacy Project)
  • I found myself making breaded pickerel, black and red fish, and it’s great because it doesn’t make the whole house smell like fish. (Canadian Jewish News)
  • The food was fantastic like always!! We ate Redbeans and rice, black and redfish, jumbalaya, gumbo, crawfish stew, crawfish fettuccini..all of the cajun favorites!!!!!!!!!!! (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

Blackened fish (eg redfish) is a recipe from Cajun cuisine.

| Comments Off link | entered by Chris Waigl, 2005/02/22 |