Local author/humorist Dick Wolfsie's latest syndicated column is a tongue-in-cheek look at a blight on the English language that he calls "eggcorns." He describes them as "the substitution of a word or phase for words that sound similar." For example, "deep-seeded" as opposed to "deep-seated." On occasion, malapropisms such as these have popped up in books I've edited. So keep an eye out for them!
Thanks to freelance editor Gayle Johnson for letting me know about this one!
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4 comments:
For all intensive purposes, I found this post most helpful.
Oops, didn't read the Wolfsie column before I commented. Sorry. I'll try to think of a better one.
"Eggcorns" is a cute term. It should be more widely adapted.
I'll admit that the term was a new one on me. But it turns out that lingusists have been onto eggcorns for years. There's even an entire database of them here: http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/
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