"Brass tacks" (1876) and etymological evidence

[Jonathan Lighter]

Neither an eggcorn nor a stupidism. Just a silly lapse.

I blame society.

JL

Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
Subject: Re: "Brass tacks" (1876) and etymological evidence
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On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 11:48:05 -0700, Jonathan Lighter
wrote:

>If this jest could be pushed back a few years, and shone to have had a
>wide circulation, it might well have had some bearing on the creation of
>the "brass tacks" metaphor.

Eggcorn alert-- that is, if JL is seeking illumination...


--Ben Zimmer

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