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Debate / defend / reject / submit examples here

This topic is particularly necessary to clarify the relatively new topic of eggcorns.

• This is totally "original research" and thus unsuited for inclusion in the article, but for over 40 years it's given me the occasional chuckle. I was going to help a friend drive from Minneapolis to D.C. He was entering the Army, and I was going to catch the D.C. to NYC train. We left Minneapolis, to spend the night at his parents' home in rural Minnesota, and the next morning we would set out for the East coast, and drive straight through, sharing the driving. That evening, at dinner, his mother repeatedly referred to the asparagus as "aspara grass"! I bit my tongue the first time I heard it, thinking I must have misheard her. But by the time we were well into the meal, and having heard it repeatedly, I knew that for whatever reason, that was what she truly believed to be the name of the vegetable. Best guess is that she believed it actually was a type of grass, and then concluded that it must have been the "aspara" variety. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.234.98.181 (talk) 08:29, 25 June 2016 (UTC)
• Sixty-five roses instead of cystic fibrosis Moochigeh (talk) 03:43, 18 April 2015 (UTC)
• Mythconception instead of misconception — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.72.151.49 (talk) 09:06, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

• purgery instead of perjury. This is so common that the Misplaced Pages page for Purgery redirects to Perjury. Also see the Wiktionary page --Harikawashi (talk) 08:14, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't think this is an eggcorn as much as it is a simple misspelling. For a word misusage to be an eggcorn, the incorrect wording has to have something to do with the actual wording. What does "purging" have to do with "perjuring"?Acire93 (talk) 17:14, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

• sneak peak instead of sneak peek — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.17.213.218 (talk) 01:48, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

Again, I don't think this is an eggcorn as much as it is a simple misspelling. What does "peak" have to do with "peek"?Acire93 (talk) 17:14, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

• "cup of chino" instead of "cappuccino" - this is one I often heard old folks say when I worked at a cafe Ballchef (talk) 23:49, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

• "cup o' coffee" instead of "cappuccino" - what's cappuccino in English? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.69.30.135 (talk) 21:49, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

• "in the spirit of the moment" instead of the two listed already Ballchef (talk) 23:49, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

• hair suit instead of hirsute — Preceding unsigned comment added by Adam B Cohen (talk • contribs) 06:04, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

• "beckon call" instead of "beck and call" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.221.89.72 (talk) 15:07, 6 January 2013 (UTC)

• In season 7, episode 8 of Friends, the character Joey causes amusement by using the phrase "moo point" for "moot point." When questioned, he explains the idiosyncratic logic behind his eggcorn: "It's like a cow's opinion: it's just doesn't matter. It's moo."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ifdqEmlx-I|title=Friends - moo point|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2013-03-27}}</ref>

Added by IP 115.87.204.32 27 March 2013. Moved here by Cnilep (talk) 02:06, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

• Ass burgers instead of aspergers. My friends were surprised when I told them it wasnt just made up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.5.146.99 (talk) 18:12, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

This is just a malapropism.Acire93 (talk) 17:14, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

And it only works with American pronunciation. It makes no sense in UK or Australian pronunciation. HiLo48 (talk) 05:45, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

• pre-Madonna instead of prima donna<ref>"". Bee English Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-07-02.</ref> Added 00:27, 3 July 2013‎ by User:Sp!ke. Moved here by Cnilep (talk) 01:40, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
  • This is common enough that a redirect from Pre-Madonna (an album) suggests the article for Prima donna. Sp!ke (talk) 14:11, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

• Intensive purposes instead of intents and purposes. http://www.word-detective.com/2009/01/intensive-purposes/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.135.26.41 (talk) 09:10, 14 July 2013

• yay or nay insted of yea or nay<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/817/is-yay-or-nay-an-acceptable-alternative-to-yea-or-nay |title=Is 'yay or nay' an acceptable alternative to 'yea or nay?' |publisher=English Language & Usage |accessdate=2013-08-08 }}</ref>

Added by User:Antiaverage (talk) 8 August 2013. Moved here by Cnilep (talk) 00:15, 9 August 2013 (UTC)

• "should/would/could of" instead of "should have" a lot. That's a pretty dumb eggcorn.108.176.232.60 (talk) 23:06, 17 September 2013 (UTC)

• "the pot calling the kettle back" instead of "The pot calling the kettle black"<ref>{{http://en.wikipedia.org/The_pot_calling_the_kettle_black}}</ref>
• "damp squid" instead of "Damp squib"<ref>{{http://en.wikipedia.org/Damp_squib}}</ref>

Two addition from 86.19.169.154, moved here by Cnilep (talk) 00:54, 7 November 2013 (UTC)

• "wet your appetite" instead of "whet your appetite" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.190.253.144 (talk) 12:43, 1 December 2013 (UTC)

• Trash metal or thrash metal? 130.233.215.14 (talk) 11:15, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

• Step foot instead of set foot <ref>{{cite web|last=Howard|first=Ross|title=The Eggcornin' Bob Dylan|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.usage.english/pXM5SEMtuKk/WaA9j6ra4SkJ|work=alt.usage.english|accessdate=14 December 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=The Eggcorn Database|url=http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/101/step-foot/|accessdate=14 December 2013}}</ref> TypoBoy (talk) 05:15, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

• "Take a different tact," which should be "take a different tack." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.201.46.99 (talk) 01:50, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

• "cockpiece" instead of "codpiece" Maxvgc (talk) 06:29, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

• "Sliding pond," which I first heard in the 1970's in a Brooklyn playground when a mother told her child to " go on the sliding pond.". I was perplexed until I saw the correct usage as follows: which should be " slide upon." Seen in Constance Garnet translation of "War and Peace." (User: Edwardtemple) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Edwardtemple (talk • contribs) 14:54, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

I grew up in Queens in the 1960s, and we called it a sliding pond, too. I haven't heard the term in years! Looking at the definition of eggcorn in the article, I'm not sure this qualifies. Whereas it is an idiosyncratic substitution, it's not clear what it's a substitution for. See this blog.. Since most people outside of New York City just call it a slide, I don't think this qualifies as an eggcorn. Paulmlieberman (talk) 18:26, 21 September 2014 (UTC)

• intensive purposes instead of intents and purposes

Added by 219.92.166.243 at 07:34, 2 May 2014; moved here by Cnilep (talk) 07:54, 2 May 2014 (UTC)

I feel like this one should be added; I've heard it plenty and it actually is an eggcorn and not a malapropism (unlike a lot of the examples given above)Acire93 (talk) 17:14, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

• mute point instead of moot point

Darrell Duane 07:27, 29 June 2014 (UTC)

• would of instead of would've

75.84.83.45 (talk) 05:38, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

• 'Penn State Nifty Lions' instead of 'Penn State Nittany Lions'

guest user — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.97.94.221 (talk) 19:46, 18 September 2014 (UTC)

• Cutting the mustard instead of cutting the muster. This is very common. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Menme (talk • contribs) 08:34, 15 October 2014

I find this one fascinating, as I've often wondered what on earth mustard would be cut for, and why cutting is even necessary. However, I don't think it's an eggcorn. I think it fits more in the category of mondegreen; if mustard was originally muster (and there are contradictory origin stories for this phrase), then the substitution is really based on a mishearing, just like wrapped up in a douche for revved up like a deuce. Paulmlieberman (talk) 13:02, 16 October 2014 (UTC)

• calling birds instead of colly birds Added 18:29, 25 November 2014 by 12.169.227.81; moved here by Cnilep (talk) 03:42, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

• deep-seeded instead of deep-seated. I see this written fairly frequently. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.172.150.121 (talk) 00:04, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

• wreck havoc instead of wreak havoc? Grutness...wha? 10:29, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

• anchors away instead of anchors aweigh (Anchors Aweigh has a redirect from Anchors Away) CharlesHBennett (talk) 05:55, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

• tow the line instead of toe the line CharlesHBennett (talk) 05:55, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

• peak one's interest instead of pique one's interest.

• baited breath instead of bated breath. Yfff (talk) 22:00, 24 January 2016 (UTC)
  • baited vs. bated is already in the article (in the lead). Hertz1888 (talk) 23:05, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

• pouring over instead of poring over. Hertz1888 (talk) 23:05, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

• taken for granite instead of taken for granted. An ex of mine used to use this. It drove me nuts. Of course, she meant that something which was granite was un-moving, constant, and solid. If one could take something for granite, then it was a sure thing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.159.235.146 (talk) 03:21, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

• just desserts instead of just deserts. Ccferrie (talk) 09:25, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

• hunchback whale instead of humpback whale. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.233.152.194 (talk) 23:24, 4 October 2016 (UTC)

• misconduct in a public office instead of misconduct in public office invites visions of public sex on the town hall reception desk, rather than crime by a public official. It is endemic on the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) nowadays.

• one foul swoop instead of one fell swoop - Divebombing cockerel?

• unchartered territory instead of uncharted territory - another BBC speciality, bringing to mind the BBC's Royal Charter, one of which's stipulations is that the BBC should 'educate' the populace.

• garnered instead of gathered - so widespread in North American reportage that I sometimes doubt my sanity. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.69.30.135 (talk) 21:38, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

Add a List instead of / in addition to the examples

Having the examples is nice, but I also think a list of these would be welcome, especially for people wondering which form is the correct form of a word. --Harikawashi (talk) 08:16, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

There are currently links to two lists of eggcorns in the External links section. A new stand alone list on Misplaced Pages might be created subject to policies on notability and verifiability, as well as the standards described at Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Stand-alone lists. Cnilep (talk) 02:10, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

Moving from here to the article

At what point are items deemed important enough to move to the main article? We can't just keep a list on the talk page without having some sort of process for moving qualified candidates to the article, otherwise they remain here forever. Sp!ke (talk) 14:14, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Much as there is no deadline, there is no hard and fast rule for when or why to change the examples in the article. Note, by the way, that the examples are not "important enough" to be included; they are illustrative of the phenomenon. There is a suggestion, above, to create a stand-alone list, which presumably would include all notable (not quite the same thing as "important") examples meeting its criteria for inclusion.

In practice, most example languish here until the list gets too long and is moved to a talk archive. The last example added to the article was preying mantis in February 2012. Preying mantis had actually been in the article until December 2011. Before that expatriot was added in July 2010. These were added because editors discussed them on this page and decided they were better examples than rot iron and old-timer's disease, respectively. Cnilep (talk) 01:53, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

I favor moving the "for all intensive purposes" example to the page now. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xplodotron (talk • contribs) 18:53, 23 October 2013 (UTC)

I agreeAcire93 (talk) 17:14, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

Individuals Known for Eggcorns Section

I think it would be nice to add a section where we discuss (or at least list) people (real people and fictional characters) who are known for their eggcorns. One example that comes to mind is Ricky from Trailer Park Boys, whose eggcorns and malapropisms have been nicknamed "Rickyisms" by fans. Rickyisms include "escape goat" for scapegoat, "incubaker" for incubator, "Juniper" for Jupiter, "Vacational School" for vocational school, and "Survival of the Fitness" for survival of the fittest.

What do people think of the idea of including a section of this sort? Or is it more that when someone's plays on words achieve that level of notability it warrants a separate entry? For example, we of course have an entry for Spoonerisms. Probably nobody else will ever achieve the notability of Spooner in this respect, but there are some others who are also famous for plays on words, and I am thinking that for those who are particularly known for their eggcorns, it might be nice to note such things in the eggcorn article. Thoughts? Tamarleigh (talk) 05:40, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

No objection in principle, but I'd be surprised if there were enough such individuals to merit a separate section. Based on the examples you've given, it looks like most Rickyisms aren't eggcorns. (Only one of the five examples, "incubaker", looks like an eggcorn to me.) Do you know of any reliable sources that link Ricky to eggcorns? The show's producer says something about him in this video, but my internet isn't working well enough for me to see it. Adrian J. Hunter 11:41, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

Here's my transcription of producers Barrie Dunn and Mike Volpe's remarks from the video Adrian J. Hunter linked to. (I may have missed some words, but this is roughly accurate.)

Dunn: We call them Rickyisms because these things are things that Ricky says, or mistakes. We call them 'Rickyisms', but it's all these phrases or expressions that Ricky comes out with that totally changes the original meaning. Actually, the meaning is better than the original.

Volpe: Oh, it's- you understand the meaning.

Dunn: He takes words and he, and he uses them wrong.

They call the words "Rickyisms" and "mistakes", but not "eggcorns". Cnilep (talk) 03:27, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

I never knew this had its own term. I always just called it ignorance and butchering the English language. I will say I've never heard a soul say "mating name" instead of "maiden name" though. --219.89.83.234 (talk) 21:46, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Changes come slowly; don't chomp on the bit!

Somebody recently added "chomp on the bit" as an eggcorn for "champ on the bit". It was reverted, and I heartily agree. An eggcorn typically adds a bit of information, or humor, or both to the meaning of the original. The phrase "chomp on the bit", as a variation of "champ on the bit", does neither. It is a result of a shift in English. The term "champ" meaning "to bit or chew noisily" has become antiquated and rarely used, and has been replaced by "chomp". See for more. Paulmlieberman (talk) 13:59, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

1. "The Grammarphobia Blog: Slip sliding away". Retrieved 21 Sep 2014. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 25 (help)
2. https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/why-people-misspell-just-deserts/

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