Eggcorns
Lots of fun yesterday exploring the world of eggcorns, those malapropisms made when people don't know the real spelling of a word and create a phonic approximation that has other connotations. Apparently a famous one is "pus-jewel" which is quite logical. So I went to the Eggcorn database (I'll find the URL and post it here soon) and entered 3 possible candidates for their files.
First, "dull drums" - from a graduate student. As in, "he was depressed and down in the dull drums."
Second, "aquatint" - from another graduate student. As in, "he was a man of sorrow and aquatinted with grief" Or "he was not aquatinted with the paintings of __________"
[note to self: find the name of the British impressionist who painted the Thames and houses of parliament - I can see the paintings clearly in my mind but cannot think of the name. I hope - in the words of another eggcorner - that the name will dong on me soon]
The third example may not count as an eggcorn: "melon collie" as in "after his dog died, he was melon collie."
I'll see what other posters on the blog think of my offerings. UPDATE 9/8/06: Checking the Eggcorn Website, I see that no one has picked up on my offerings. However, I learned of the excellent and useful "donged" as in - "I slowly donged on me that no one would pick up on my suggestions."
Eggcorns seem slightly related to a phenomenon/game which a friend has told me about, called "Swetter-Litching" or "Letter Switching" which the Urban Dictionary says is the same as a Spoonerism, a well known humorous and presumably accidental phenomenon.
First, "dull drums" - from a graduate student. As in, "he was depressed and down in the dull drums."
Second, "aquatint" - from another graduate student. As in, "he was a man of sorrow and aquatinted with grief" Or "he was not aquatinted with the paintings of __________"
[note to self: find the name of the British impressionist who painted the Thames and houses of parliament - I can see the paintings clearly in my mind but cannot think of the name. I hope - in the words of another eggcorner - that the name will dong on me soon]
The third example may not count as an eggcorn: "melon collie" as in "after his dog died, he was melon collie."
I'll see what other posters on the blog think of my offerings. UPDATE 9/8/06: Checking the Eggcorn Website, I see that no one has picked up on my offerings. However, I learned of the excellent and useful "donged" as in - "I slowly donged on me that no one would pick up on my suggestions."
Eggcorns seem slightly related to a phenomenon/game which a friend has told me about, called "Swetter-Litching" or "Letter Switching" which the Urban Dictionary says is the same as a Spoonerism, a well known humorous and presumably accidental phenomenon.
posted by Sara Jameson at 9:08 AM
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