OED definition of eggcorn is wrong

[Jonathan Lighter]

So "take it for granite" is an eggcorn, but "take it for gannet" is a
stupidism.

But suppose "take it for gannet" is rich in logic for me?  Maybe the
criterion is "seems to make some sense."

JL

On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 12:36 PM, Ben Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: OED definition of eggcorn is wrong
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 11:34 AM, Mark Peters wrote:
> >
> > The key element of an eggcorn is that it's a *logical* mistake--it has to
> make
> > sense. That's what distinguishes it from a malapropism or mondegreen.
> When my
> > mom calls carpal tunnel syndrome "carnal tunnel-vision syndrome," that's
> no
> > eggcorn, because it makes no sense (it is awesome, though).
> >
> > But the OED's definition (new this week) leaves this out: "An alteration
> of a
> > word or phrase through the mishearing or  reinterpretation of one or more
> of
> > its elements as a similar-sounding  word."
> >
> > Arggh! That's a gigantic omission, isn't it? Or did I just put too much
> crack
> > on my corn flakes this morning? Maybe " reinterpretation" is supposed to
> > cover the logic part, but I don't know...
> >
> > Ben, Arnold, others, what do you think?
>
> I'm with Mark on this one -- see my Language Log post:
>
> http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2633
>
> --bgz
>
>
> --
> Ben Zimmer
> http://benzimmer.com/
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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