Eggcorn: *flea market* > *flee market*

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Mar 5, 2008, at 10:25 PM, Dennis Preston wrote:

> Isn't "flea market" an eggcorn to start with?

??  OED under "flea" says:

flea market colloq. [cf. Fr. marché aux puces, in Paris], term applied
jocularly to a street market.

1922 G. S. DOUGHERTY In Europe 130 It is called the ‘*Flea’ Market
because there are so many second hand articles sold of all kinds that
they are believed to gather fleas.

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