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sow » sew

Chiefly in:   reap what you sew

Classification: English – questionable

Spotted in the wild:

  • Are you a complete idiot? It was spelled out to you in big type. The term “you reap what you sew” It means one obtains as a reward that which they follow. (link)
  • Reap what I sew (not sow, that’s a pig). Another old church cliche that you heard somewhere. If I reap what I sew, then I will be a millionaire because I have invested alot of money in stocks. (link)
  • One must reap what they sew. But, may one also reap what they have not sewn? (link)

See sow»soak for why it’s questionable.

As a sidenote, there’s another saying parodying “reap what you sow” that seems to be in use: “rip what you sew”.

| 4 comments | link | entered by David Romano, 2005/04/06 |

militate » mitigate

Chiefly in:   mitigate against

Classification: English – not an eggcorn

Spotted in the wild:

  • “In general, the speed of mass communication mitigates against exploring an issue carefully…” (L.A. Times, quoted by Garner)

One of the two word substitutions that are most frequently suggested to me as eggcorns. (The other is “flout” >> “flaunt”.) Discussed in virtually every usage dictionary, including recent ones: Garner’s Modern American Usage, Cochrane’s Between You and I, Fiske’s The Dictionary of Disagreeable English. The words are similar in both phonology and meaning, so the substitution is understandable. The usual direction of substitution has the somewhat more frequent and less specialized word, “mitigate”, replacing the somewhat less frequent and more specialized word, “militate”, but the reverse substitution also occurs. I can’t see how either direction of substitution counts as any sort of reanalysis, though, so I’ve labeled this as “not an eggcorn”.

| 1 comment | link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/04/05 |

flout » flaunt

Classification: English – not an eggcorn

Spotted in the wild:

  • “In Washington, the White House issued a statement that deplored the Nigerian government’s flaunting of even the most basic international norms and universal standards of human rights.” (NYT, 11 Nov. 1995, cited by Garner)

One of the two word substitutions that are most frequently suggested to me as eggcorns. (The other is “militate” >> “mitigate”.) Discussed in virtually every usage dictionary, including recent ones: Garner’s Modern American Usage, Cochrane’s Between You and I, Brians’s Common Errors in English Usage, Fiske’s The Dictionary of Disagreeable English. (Some of these complain that the “wrong” sense of “flaunt” has made it into dictionaries.) Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage tracks complaints about it back to 1932 and gives examples going back to 1918. The words are similar in both phonology and meaning, so the substitution is understandable. The usual direction of substitution has the somewhat more frequent and less specialized word, “flaunt”, replacing the somewhat less frequent and more specialized word, “flout”, but the reverse substitution is occasionally reported. I can’t see how either direction of substitution counts as any sort of reanalysis, though, so I’ve labeled this as “not an eggcorn”.

| Comments Off link | entered by Arnold Zwicky, 2005/04/05 |

Axel » axle

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • Unfortunately, because we spent so much time working on the wrap we didn’t have time to learn a double Axle or a triple, so with only a double lutz, I skated my way to a sixth place finish which I was very pleased with. (link)
  • For the meantime, however, she has other things to worry about: like will she ever be able to do a triple axle, and will she be able to afford to pay for the coaching and incidental expenses which become a major financial commitment at her level of skating? (link)
  • Even if you’re not yearning to try a double axle or triple toe loop, it can’t hurt to sign up for a lesson or two with a seasoned skater. (link)
  • Todd kept warming up his combination. Although during the competition he did a triple axle/double toe, he did indeed hit a triple axle/triple toe during warm-up. (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

The figure skating jump is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen (1856–1938). Like all the other skating jumps, it involves a rotative movement.

| Comments Off link | entered by Chris Waigl, 2005/04/05 |

Hansom » handsome

Chiefly in:   handsome cab

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • Footage of a horse and handsome cab riding through Central Park pops off the screen, causing audience members to reach out and try to touch the animal. They’ve been fooled by an optical illusion. (link)
  • Initially she drove a wagonette drawn by a ‘pair of polished horses who trotted briskly’ and a handsome cab before she was forced to buy a car because of increasing competition. (link)
  • This great new book makes the wonderful diversity of American carriages available in countless outstanding and detailed Victorian engravings, each with a detailed description. It features 168 illustrations of carriages - most from the period of 1850 to 1900: chaises, dog carts, handsome cabs, sulkies, road carts, piano-box buggies, surreys…the list goes on and on. (link)
  • When you are ready to “shop ’til you drop” relax and grab a handsome cab…. and discover a comfortable and charming way to window shop. (link)

Analyzed or reported by:

The Hansom cab is named after its inventor, Joseph Aloysius Hansom (1803 - 1882).

Ken Lakritz comments: “An obsolete but very good-looking conveyance!”

| Comments Off link | entered by Chris Waigl, 2005/04/04 |
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