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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 |

chic » sheik

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • By 1am every square inch was well and truly packed, and, amidst a very sheik laser show, Karl Blue stepped up to the decks to begin the peak-time set. (X-Press Online, July 1, 2004)
  • This trend has gone from the super sheik venues to mainstream. (Night in the Big City, Apr. 2, 2004)
  • Reese Witherspoon’s portrayal of ultra-sheik Elle Woods in Legally Blonde won hands down over the less-stylish Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice and Cynthia Nixon in Sex and The City. (Princeton Review press release, Apr. 13, 2004)
| Comments Off link | entered by Ben Zimmer, 2005/02/15 |

whet » wet

Chiefly in:   wet one's appetite

Classification: English

Spotted in the wild:

  • It was excellent and just wet my appetite for my main course. (Barcelona On Line, Apr. 2001)
  • This was absolutely delicious, but what it mainly did was to wet my appetite for the main entrée. (Houstonian Online, Feb. 1, 2001)

Analyzed or reported by:

In some cases this may be a simple spelling error, but as Paul Brians notes, “it is natural to think that something mouth-watering ‘wets your appetite.’”

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