Eggcorn?

James C Stalker stalker at MSU.EDU
Thu May 19 01:58:56 UTC 2005


Among my early memories are picking blackberries in wild thickets, groves,
clutches (what do blackberries grow in).  I remember the copperheads, the
mosquitoes, and the resultant jams, cobblers, and such.  The poor tasteless
things that show up in Michigan stores should not be labeld blackberries.

Seeds, weeds, blackberries, nd flowers, like dialect terms, thrive in some
environments and not others.  A nurseryman here in Michigan whose son
nurseries in Kentucky (ok, why not? I heard timelining on NPR tonight) says
that if it a perennial in KY, it is most likely an annual in MI.  So far, he
seems to be right.

Jim


FRITZ JUENGLING writes:

> Yes, some people DO buy morning glory seeds.  That reminds me of when my wife and I were in the foodstore shortly after we moved to Minnesota. We were in the fresh produce area and saw, to our great disbelief and amazement--blackberries!! The price was ridiculous-- several dollars for a a large handful--but the fact that they were there was enough to make my wife laugh.
> Fritz J
>
>>>> wilson.gray at RCN.COM 05/17/05 11:07AM >>>
> An excellent question! I was hurt to see my beloved Southern
> honeysuckle derided in a Northeern news article as an "invasive weed."
> On the other hand, I was shocked to see that no less a company than
> Burpee sells morning-glory seeds. There are people willing to pay for
> *morning-glory* seeds?! What's next? People buying jimson-weed seeds?!
>
> -Wilson Gray
>
>
> On May 17, 2005, at 12:17 AM, James C Stalker wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> -------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> nder:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       James C Stalker <stalker at MSU.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: Eggcorn?
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --------
>>
>> Some pop culture impetus to "spreading like wildflowers."  Dolly
>> Parton does
>> a song in which she maintains that "wildflowers don't care where they
>> grow,"
>> suggesting moving on, spreading out, etc.  As I was engaged in the
>> manly
>> ritual of taking out the garbage tonight, I took stock of my yard and
>> decided that I was going to have to do something about the
>> forget-me-nots,
>> phlox, and buttercups, which/that are taking over my garden.  They are
>> all
>> native to Michigan and love the cool weather.  They don't care where
>> they
>> grow, especially given the fertilizer and watering I've provided.  In
>> fact,
>> they are spreading like wildflowers.  There seems to be a definition
>> problem.  What constitutes a "wildflower"?  A delicate thing that
>> needs a
>> very specific enviornment, or a hardy flower that's cute in the woods
>> but is
>> a weed in our garden?
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>> Jonathan Lighter writes:
>>
>>> The good news is that Google as yet provides no hits for "spreading
>>> like wallflowers."
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>> Poster: Laurence Horn
>>> Subject: Re: Eggcorn?
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ---------
>>>
>>> At 12:33 PM +0100 5/12/05, Michael Quinion wrote:
>>>> A subscriber has e-mailed me thus: "I am a college instructor, and
>>>> the other day I was grading papers when I came across this: 'In the
>>>> early 1960s, rock and roll was spreading like wildflowers.' I found
>>>> it oddly apt and a little poetic, if totally wrong."
>>>>
>>> It may be wrong, but it's spreading like...well, let's see:
>>>
>>> "spreading like wildfire" 42,200
>>> "spreading like wildflowers" 352
>>>
>>> Larry
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> James C. Stalker
>> Department of English
>> Michigan State University
>>
>



James C. Stalker
Department of English
Michigan State University



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