malaprop? or what?

[David Bowie]

From:    "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>

> from an NYT story "Trailer-Park Dwellers Fight Eviction From
> Paradise" by Chris Dixon, 5/2/05, p. A12 (the paradise in question is
> the beach at Laguna Beach, California):
> -----
> ...with a slice of paradise on the line, most residents have chosen
> to fight.

> "They're pulling this old bandwagon that's long dead and not true,"
> said Tim Williams, 36, who has lived at El Morro for nearly four
> years with his wife, Dalila, and their son, Sebastian, 5.  "Saying
> people are denied access--that's a lie."
> -----
> ok, "bandwagon" is clearly not the word for the job.  something like
> "canard" would fit.  but what word was this guy aiming for? (or,
> alternatively, what did he say that the reporter misheard as
> "bandwagon"?)

"Bandwagon" works for me--what's wrong with it? Is it clear in the story
that he's not talking about an idea that has gained momentum (which is,
to me, the general sense of the word)?

--
David Bowie                                         http://pmpkn.net/lx
     Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
     house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
     chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.