Monday, 22 July 2019

Malaphors, Mondegreens and Eggcorns

I found this clever little clip on the BBC website and it amused me.

I didn't realise about being buck [not butt] naked - however it is not a phrase I use very often. The common errors that make me wince are...
  • She did it off her own back
  • I'm speaking pacifically
  • He's had a problem with his prostrate
  • Good tidings we bring to you and your King
Are there any phrases which you frequently encounter being mis-spoken?
And do you have any favourite family words/phrases which you know are incorrect but continue to use anyway? [like Rosie and her Mango Chupney]



12 comments:

  1. yes somethink and nothink

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  2. What a clever video, informative and funny too.

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  3. I spell words wrongly - on shopping lists for example - "biskits" and "cat fud". I have no idea why, as I can spell them both perfectly well. The "Cat fud" comes from a Gary Larson cartoon (which I've written about here https://fatdormouse.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/aint-mispronouncing/) but I don't know about "bikits"

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  4. My stepmom is a great baker and one Christmas she had made a tray full of Empire biscuits for everyone. One of my little nieces - about 4 at the time, misheard and thought she said "Vampire Biscuits" - we continue to refer to them as such!

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    1. I'd forgotten about Empire Biscuits, named in WW1 - and the fact that they are so popular in Canada. I shall have to bake some with Rosie

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  5. Moot/Mute point springs to mind and I was at a meeting today where the speaker talked about a situation being 'exasperated' when I'm pretty sure she meant 'exacerbate'.

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  6. We have a lot of vultures in our rural area and my youngest granddaughter used to call them "culture birds"!

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  7. I cringe when people say or write, "would of" or "could of", or when I see "born and bread" in a published book, where, several pages later, I read, "it was hear". I also had a hard time figuring out what "wah lah" meant, the first time I read that (on a blog). :)

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    Replies
    1. Is 'wah lah' meant to be voilà ? Mangled French has led to many odd expressions.

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    2. Yes, that's exactly what it is meant to be!

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