Sanford eggcorn: "world wind (tour)"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 9:21 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> At 6/24/2009 11:17 PM, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
> >_The State_ has published leaked emails between Gov. Mark Sanford and
> >"Maria," and amidst all the salaciousness is this fine eggcorn:
> >
> >http://www.thestate.com/sanford/story/839350.html
> >"Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had
> >told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand
> >and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour."
> >
> >"World wind" for "whirlwind" is not yet in the ECDB, but it's been
> >noted at least twice by commenters:
> >
> >http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/browse-eggcorns/#comment-1020
> >http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1927
>
> I gather an eggcorn does not require a similarly-sounding expression
> with a real, or perhaps ideally a similar, meaning -- but here there
> is "world wide".  Or is that so obvious is doesn't need
> mentioning?  (I don't think it has been.)

I suppose you could think of "world wind" as a blend of "world wide"
and "whirlwind." Or, since it modifies "tour," there could be
influence from "world tour" (to describe concert tours and the like).


--Ben Zimmer

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