cole slaw » cold slaw

Classification: English – final d/t-deletion

Spotted in the wild:

  • The popular salad made of shredded cabbage was originally “cole slaw,” from the Dutch for “cabbage salad.” Because it is served cold, Americans have long supposed the correct spelling to be “cold slaw”; but if you want to sound more sophisticated go with the original. (Brians, Common Errors)

Analyzed or reported by:

  • Paul Brians (link)
  • Arnold Zwicky (link)

Very common eggcorn, discussed several times on the Eggcorn Forum.

Thanks to final d/t-deletion, cold slaw and cole slaw are very frequently homophonous.

| link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2012/06/13 |

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