{{Short description|Altered phrase that is still plausible}} {{use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} [[File:Prefixed menu.jpg|thumb|Cafe chalkboard advertising a "pre fixed" menu, an eggcorn of the French ''prix fixe'' (fixed price)]]
An '''eggcorn''' is the alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements,<ref name="OED">{{Cite OED | eggcorn |access-date=24 May 2022}}, sense 2</ref> creating a new phrase that is plausible when used in the same context.<ref name="AHD">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2011 |title=eggcorn ''n.'' |encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |edition=fifth |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-547-04101-8}}</ref> Thus, an eggcorn is an unexpectedly fitting or creative malapropism. Eggcorns often arise as people attempt to make sense of a stock phrase that uses a term unfamiliar to them,<ref name="Butterfield">{{cite book |last=Butterfield |first=Jeremy |title=Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-923906-1 |pages=57–59}}</ref> as for example replacing "Alzheimer's disease" with "old-timers' disease",<ref name="AHD" /> or William Shakespeare's "to the manner born" with "to the manor born".<ref name="OED" />
== Language change == Eggcorns arise when people attempt to use analogy and logic to make sense of an expression – often a stock one – that includes a term that is not meaningful to them<ref name="Butterfield" /> by swapping in a similar-sounding word that is more familiar. For example, the stock expression "in one fell swoop" might be replaced by "in one foul swoop", the infrequently used adjective "fell" (for "fierce", "cruel", or "terrible"<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fell#:~:text=4%20of%205-,adjective,a%20fell%20purpose "fell", adjective], at Merriam-Webster dictionary</ref>) being replaced with the more common word "foul" in order to convey the cruel/underhand meaning of the phrase as the speaker understands it.<ref name="Butterfield" />
Eggcorns are of interest to linguists as they not only show language changing in real time, but can also shed light on how and why the change occurs.<ref name="Butterfield" />
== Etymology == The term ''egg corn'' (later contracted into one word, ''eggcorn'') was coined by professor of linguistics Geoffrey Pullum in September 2003 in response to an article by Mark Liberman on the website ''Language Log'', a group blog for linguists.<ref>{{cite news |last=Erard |first=Michael |title=Analyzing Eggcorns and Snowclones, and Challenging Strunk and White |page=4 |work=The New York Times | date=June 20, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20lang.html?ex=1308456000&en=76bbb00d355e9796&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |access-date=2006-12-21 |archive-date=2006-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813222006/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20lang.html?ex=1308456000&en=76bbb00d355e9796&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |url-status=live}}</ref> In his article, Liberman discussed the case of a woman who had used the phrase ''egg corn'' for ''acorn'', and he noted that this specific type of substitution lacked a name. Pullum suggested using ''egg corn'' itself as a label.<ref name="Blog2">{{cite web |last=Liberman |first=Mark |date=September 23, 2003 |title=Egg corns: folk etymology, malapropism, mondegreen, ??? |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000018.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404003251/http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000018.html |archive-date=2004-04-04 |work=Language Log}}</ref>
Regarding this original "egg corn", Liberman noted: "the author of this mis-hearing may be a speaker of the dialect in which 'beg' has the same vowel as the first syllable of 'bagel'. For these folks, 'egg corn' and 'acorn' are really homonyms, if the first is not spoken so as to artificially separate the words."<ref name="Blog2"/>
== Examples == <!-- DO NOT ADD UNSOURCED EXAMPLES HERE --> <!-- Keep examples alphabetized--> * "baited breath" for "bated breath"<ref name="Butterfield" /><ref name="Wallraff">{{Cite web |last=Wallraff |first=Barbara |date=2006-09-01 |title=Word Court |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/09/word-court/305102/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Staff |date=2006-08-26 |title=The word: Eggcorns |page=52 |work=New Scientist |url=https://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19125662.000-the-word-eggcorns.html |url-status=live |access-date=2006-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322115853/http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19125662.000-the-word-eggcorns.html |archive-date=2007-03-22}}</ref> * "beckon call" for "beck and call"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-22 |title=Beckon call |url=https://grammarist.com/eggcorns/beckon-call/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Grammarist |language=en-US}}</ref> * "damp squid" for "damp squib"<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/05/dont-be-a-damp-squid |title=Review: Don't be a Damp Squid|date=May 6, 2010 |magazine=Wired |access-date=November 24, 2021 |last1=Williams |first1=Jenny }}</ref> * "deep seeded" for "deep seated"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is It 'Deep-Seated' or 'Deep-Seeded'? |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/deep-seated-deep-seeded-usage#:~:text=Deep-seated%20is%20the%20correct,sometimes%20mistaken%20as%20deep-seeded. |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> * "ex-patriot" for "expatriate"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wordsmith.org/words/eggcorn.html |author=Anu Garg |title=eggcorn |work=A Word A Day |date=February 21, 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516141315/http://wordsmith.org/words/eggcorn.html |url-status=live}}</ref> * "the feeble position" for "the fetal position"<ref name="McG">{{cite web |title=A damp squid, for all intensive purposes: 14 'eggcorns' to make you laugh |last=McG |first=Ross |url=https://metro.co.uk/2015/04/09/a-damp-squid-for-all-intensive-purposes-14-eggcorns-to-make-you-laugh-5141384/ |work=Metro |date=9 April 2015 |access-date=7 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> * "for all intensive purposes" for "for all intents and purposes"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-for-all-intensive-purposes-intents |title='For All Intensive Purposes': An Eggcorn |work=Merriam-Webster |access-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618111805/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-for-all-intensive-purposes-intents |url-status=live}}</ref> * "free reign" for "free rein"<ref>{{cite web |title='Free Rein' or 'Free Reign'? |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-free-rein-vs-free-reign |website=Merriam-Webster|date=17 June 2025 |access-date=23 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref> * "in one foul swoop" for "in one fell swoop"<ref name="Butterfield" /> * "jackarse" {{sic}} or "jack-arse" for "jackass"<ref> While the misspelling "jackarse" (or "jack-arse") is older, it seems to have become more common after the ''Jackass'' media franchise began screening, in 2000. For example, the historian David Swift mentioned "a lad from Bootle who always referred to the TV show ''Jackass'' as ''Jack-arse'', lest he be accused of some American affectation." (David Swift, 2025, ''Scouse Republic An Alternative History of Liverpool'', London: Little Brown; p.158.)</ref> * "jar-dropping" for "jaw-dropping"<ref name="McG" /> * "just desserts" for "just deserts"<ref>{{Cite web |title='Just Deserts' or 'Just Desserts'? |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/just-deserts-or-just-desserts |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Merriam-Webster |language=en}}</ref> * "old-timers' disease" for "Alzheimer's disease"<ref name="AHD" /><ref name="McG" /> * "old wise tale" for "old wives' tale"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-31 |title=Old wives' tale vs old wise tale |url=https://grammarist.com/eggcorns/old-wives-tale-vs-old-wise-tale/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Grammarist |language=en-US}}</ref> * "on the spurt of the moment" for "on the spur of the moment"<ref name="PsyTod">{{cite journal |last=Peters |first=Mark |date=March–April 2006 |title=Word Watch: The Eggcorn – Lend Me Your Ear |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200603/word-watch-the-eggcorn |url-status=dead |journal=Psychology Today |volume=39 |issue=2 |page=18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709191315/http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060214-000002.html |archive-date=2006-07-09 |access-date=2006-07-13}}</ref> * "peaked my interest" for "piqued my interest"<ref>{{Cite web |title="pique my interest" vs. "peak my interest" |url=https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/pardon-the-expression/pique-my-interest-vs-peak-my-interest/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Vocabulary.com}}</ref> * "preying mantis" for "praying mantis"<ref name="Butterfield" /> * "real trooper" for "real trouper"<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine |title=This Is What 'Eggcorns' Are (and Why They're Jar-Droppingly Good |url=https://time.com/3902230/what-is-an-eggcorn |magazine=Time|first=Katy |last=Steinmetz |date=30 May 2015 |access-date=26 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref> * "ripe with..." for "rife with..."<ref name="Wallraff" /> * "scandally clad" for "scantily clad"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fozzard |first=Anna |date=2017-06-09 |title=Eggcorns and other cute things children say |url=https://www.strattoncraig.com/us/insight/eggcorns-cute-things-children-say/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |publisher=Stratton Craig Copywriting Agency |language=en}}</ref> * "to the manor born" for "to the manner born"<ref name="OED" /> * "wet your appetite" for "whet your appetite"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-20 |title=Whet one's appetite vs wet one's appetite |url=https://grammarist.com/idiom/whet-ones-appetite-vs-wet-ones-appetite/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=Grammarist |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Similar phenomena == Eggcorns are similar to but distinct from several other linguistic expressions:<ref name="Snowclone_Def">{{cite web |last=Pullum |first=Geoffrey K |author-link=Geoffrey Pullum |date=October 27, 2003 |title=Phrases for lazy writers in kit form |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000061.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017100244/http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000061.html |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |access-date=November 25, 2007 |publisher=Language Log}}</ref>
* Where a ''folk etymology'' is a change in the form of a word caused by widespread misunderstanding of the word's etymology, an eggcorn may be limited to one person rather than being used generally within a speech community.<ref name="Blog2" /><ref name="Butterfield" /> * A ''malapropism'' generally derives its effect from a comic misunderstanding of the user, often creating a nonsensical phrase; an eggcorn on the other hand is a substitution that exhibits creativity or logic.<ref name="PsyTod" /> * A ''mondegreen'' is a misinterpretation of a word or phrase, often within the lyrics of a specific song or other type of performance, and need not make sense within that context.<ref name="Ticak">{{cite web |author=Marko Ticak |date=24 Nov 2016 |title=Humanity's Best Eggcorn Examples |url=https://www.grammarly.com/blog/best-eggcorn-examples/ |website=grammarly blog}}</ref> An eggcorn must still retain something of the original meaning,<ref name="Ticak" /> as the speaker understands it, and may be a replacement for a poorly understood phrase rather than a mishearing. * In a ''pun'', the speaker or writer intentionally creates a humorous effect, whereas an eggcorn may be used or created by someone who is unaware that the expression is non-standard.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zwicky |first=Arnold |date=2 November 2003 |title=Lady Mondegreen Says Her Peace About Egg Corns |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000074.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308091414/http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000074.html |archive-date=8 March 2019 |access-date=29 June 2018}}</ref>
Where the spoken form of an eggcorn sounds the same as the original, it becomes a type of homophone.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * {{Cite web |last=Diamond |first=Graeme |date=September 2010 |title=September 2010 new words |url=http://oed.com/news/updates/newwords1009.html |work=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=2010-09-16}} * {{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Jan |title=So wrong it's right |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/09/26/so_wrong_its_right/ |publisher=The Boston Globe |access-date=3 October 2010 |date=2010-09-26}} * Harbeck, James (2010-06-02), [http://sesquiotic.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/my-veil-of-tears/ "My Veil of Tears"]. Retrieved 2012-01-26. * Liberman, Mark, and Geoffrey K. Pullum (2006), ''Far from the Madding Gerund and Other Dispatches from Language Log''. Wilsonville, OR: William, James & Co. * Liberman, Mark (2003-09-23), [http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/000018.html "Egg corns: folk etymology, malapropism, mondegreen, ???"], Language Log (weblog). Retrieved 2009-06-23. * Peters, Mark (2006-08-09), [http://chronicle.com/article/Like-a-Bowl-in-a-China-Shop/46736/ "Like a Bowl in a China Shop"], ''The Chronicle of Higher Education: Chronicle Careers''. Retrieved 2009-06-23. * {{cite magazine |magazine=Time |title=This Is What 'Eggcorns' Are (and Why They're Jar-Droppingly Good) |url=https://time.com/3902230/what-is-an-eggcorn/ |date=30 May 2015 |author=Katy Steinmetz |access-date=20 September 2019 |archive-date=12 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612111405/http://time.com/3902230/what-is-an-eggcorn/ |url-status=live}}
== External links == {{sisterlinks|d=Q1297397|s=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|n=no|species=no|mw=no|m=no|q=no|commons=no}} * [https://eggcorns.lascribe.net/ Eggcorn database]
Category:Eggcorns Category:2003 neologisms Category:Acorns Category:Etymology Category:Lexicology Category:Word coinage