"Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?

Mark Mandel thnidu at GMAIL.COM
Thu Aug 2 16:32:19 UTC 2007


First-time visitors to Santa's workshop at the North Pole are often startled
at the sight of one of the staff. "My God! What's that huge thing?... It's
-- she's -- smiling... and holding... oh, it's a big tray of peppermint
sticks! Why, uh, thank you."

They've just met Carol, the ancient Yuletide troll.

<gd&ravvf>

-- Mark
[This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, mostly.]

On 8/2/07, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> On Aug 1, 2007, at 7:26 PM, Lary Horn wrote:
>
> > Well, we've established that there is such a verb as "troll", with
> > precisely the appropriate meaning, but its currency is severely
> > limited.  Because of this, I wonder if there be young lads and lasses
> > scattered about who have innovated an eggcornish reading of this
> > line, i.e.
> >
> > Troll, the ancient Yuletide carol
> >
> > --alongside its companion,
> >
> > Gladly, the cross-eyed bear
>
> now added to the posting, along with "Olive, the other reindeer".
>
> arnold
>

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