At last, a word for the all-too-often occurrence in student papers of such substitutions as
- "doggy dog world" for "dog-eat-dog"
- "for granite" for "for granted"
- "all intensive purposes" for "all intents and purposes"
and so on. These have been dubbed eggcorns, and you can find out more about them here. The term comes from an observed case of the substitution of "eggcorn" for "acorn." An eggcorn generally makes some sense and is not a meaningless construct; thus, the word "eggcorn" suggests a shape, and an acorn is a seed, like a kernel of corn. Witness "old-timer's disease" for Altzheimer's.
If you're fascinated by linguistic quirks, as I am, be sure to check out the eggcorn database.
Related to eggcorns is the phenomenon of mondegreens.
The term "mondegreen" was coined by Sylvia Wright in a 1954 Atlantic article. As a child, young Sylvia had listened to a folk song that included the lines "They had slain the Earl of Moray/And Lady Mondegreen." As is customary with misheard lyrics, she didn't realize her mistake for years. The song was not about the tragic fate of Lady Mondegreen, but rather, the continuing plight of the good earl: "They had slain the Earl of Moray/And laid him on the green."
We've all done this. Count me among the thousands who heard the Rascals sing "you and me and Leslie" (instead of "you and me, endlessly") in their song "Groovin'." I always wondered who the hell Leslie was and why he or she didn't appear at any other time in the song ... There's the famous Creedence Clearwater Revival song about a bathroom on the right, and of course that unfortunate girl with colitis in "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" ("the girl with colitis goes by"). And what about the unforgettable "Midnight After You're Wasted" by Maria Muldaur?
For more mondegreens, see Jon Carroll. Be sure to scroll down on the page to read "Mondegreens Ripped My Flesh."
I love stumbling on language-related tidbits like these. For more on linguistics-related news, analysis, and discussion, check this out.
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