latest Mark Peters on eggcorns

[Charles Doyle]

"Pus jewel," huh?  One is reminded of imagery in Dryden's youthful poem "Upon the Death of the Lord Hastings"--from smallpox:

So many Spots, like naeves, our Venus soil?
One Jewell set off with so many a Foil?
Blisters with pride swell'd, which th'row 's flesh did sprout
Like Rose-buds, stuck in' th' Lilly-skin about.
Each little Pimple had a Tear in it,
To wail the fault its rising did commit . . . .

--Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 09:52:52 -0400
>From: William Salmon <william.salmon at YALE.EDU>
>Subject: Re: latest Mark Peters on eggcorns
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>> in CHE, mentioning both Language Log and ADS:
>>
>>   http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/08/2006080901c/careers.html
>
>In honor of the attention given to eggcorns in this higher education
>piece, I give a particularly juicy eggcorn:
>
>pustule > pus jewel
>
>Google Examples:
>The only thing they can do is pop them one by one and remove the pus
>jewel inside to stop them spreading if they do not clear up on their
>own.
>
>Two days ago a nice sized pus jewel popped up on Mr . Eliot's ring
>finger . It was the worst one he's ever had.
>
>It barely hurts at all though and doesn't seem inflamed, except it gets
>a weird pus-jewel type bubble when I wear my glasses...
>
>WS

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