Talk:Eggcorn/Archive 2

This is an archive of past discussions about Eggcorn. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Archive 1

Archive 2

Archive 3

Archive 4

Archive 5

Debate / defend / reject / submit examples here

parting shot for Parthian shot

This example has already been justified for removal (search ~~above~~ Archive 1). "Parting shot" is has been an accepted term for over 100 years [1] and so, at best, this is a folk etymology, which is a different concept from eggcorn in that an entire community has long accepted the change. Some etymologists have long held that "parting shot" must have come from the scholarly "Parthian shot," despite no real evidence to support this claim, so it may not even be a folk etymology either. It reeks of those "too cute to be true" etymologies that are floating around. Please see [2] and [3] Thisis0 00:02, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

paper mushy for papier-mâché

My aunt used to call papier mache "Paper Mushy". This sounds like it might be one? —Preceding unsigned comment added by MegdalePlace (talk • contribs) 20:13, 23 July 2007 (UTC)
-If she was (likely) saying it humorously, knowing full well the true phrase, then it probably won't fit at all. But, if she truly grew up thinking "paper mushy" when she heard "Papier-mâché," it counts. Now, you have to ask how many others have made the same mistake as your aunt. Commonality usually justifies acknowledgement. (Especially for this list - they've been picky about including too many). "Paper mushy" isn't at the Eggcorn Database, but search Google for "paper mushy" (in quotes) to see how many people think like your aunt. You'll have to weed out stuff like "it made the paper mushy." Thisis0 02:00, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

should of instead of should have

I see and hear people using this ALL the time. It's probably the most used eggcorn I can think of. josephmarty 01:00, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

Should of is indeed oft-used, but I would argue that it is not an eggcorn. The word of and the reduced form of have do "sound similar or identical." But the non-standard should of does not display any new or reshaped meaning, as old-timers disease or pot marks do. On a related issue, the suggestion in the introduction that an eggcorn "makes sense on some level" is unnecessarily vague -- virtually every human utterance makes sense on some level.Cnilep (talk) 17:06, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

These are just spelling mistakes. At the very least, they are poor examples for our list, which is limited in its inclusion of the best examples. -- Thisis0 (talk) 07:40, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

It cannot be a simple spelling mistake. It is far too prevalent (I have seen an example in the title of a doctoral dissertation submission, where the use of a contraction would be counter-indicated) to be a mere spelling error. I have also seen this compounded with the homonym "one" instead of "won", as in the case of "Miss Delaware should of one the competition". Some users actually argue that "______ of" is the correct usage.Sings-With-Spirits (talk) 15:52, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

bald-faced instead of bold-faced

This was added directly to the page on 6 October by OttoTheFish. There is no citation of a source, and so far as I know it was not discussed on this page. I have therefore moved it here pending vetting and citation. OttoTheFish's full contribution is reproduced below: Cnilep (talk) 14:15, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

bald-faced instead of bold-faced. This is most commonly misused in the phrase "a bold-faced lie". Note that in British English, the word "bald" is pronounced very similarly to "bold".

mole hair instead of mohair
nip it in the butt instead of nip it in the bud

Moved these 2 uncited ones here too. Not that i disbelieve them, but there is no point in having so many examples, with no discusion of them, and those without sources should be the first to go.Yobmod (talk) 12:17, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

The example nip it in the butt was again added by 88.250.85.74 on 27 July 2009. The user provides a reference: [4]. Since it has not been discussed here, I again removed it. Cnilep (talk) 16:31, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

duck tape instead of duct tape. (There is a brand of duct tape called "Duck Tape," which plays off this common error. There is now some speculation as to which of these terms is the eggcorn and which is the original. See Duct tape: Etymology.)

And the link given in this one says maybe it is not an eggcorn at all, that duck tape is/was a real thing that has become conflated with duct tape. Ambiguous examples seem superfluous to me. this isn't a "List of eggcorns" page, so only common unambiguous examples are needed. Plus so many people say this, and one of the brands is called "Duck tape" (not that recent either), that many are not commiting eggcorns at all, but referring instead to the common brand (like Hoover for Vacuum cleaner).Yobmod (talk) 12:26, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

murders and executions mistaken for mergers and acquisitions

(Submitted by Manderson on 5 December 2008. Deleted by User:Cnilep on 6 December 2008. Restored by Manderson on 7 December 2008. See also negative opinion of User:Yobmod ~~above~~ Archive 1.) Cnilep (talk) 10:43, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

flutterby instead of butterfly.

(Submitted by anonymous user at IP 128.118.56.53 on 16 December 2008.) Cnilep (talk) 07:35, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

squash instead of quash