Not an eggcorn--just a mistake?

[David Bowie]

From:    Charles Doyle

> Last night on MTV's "Room Raiders" (I know, I need to get a life!), a
> participant entered an extremely messy room, which he twice referred to
> as having been "thrashed."  I assume he meant "trashed," but he
> (unconsciously) introducted a more particular image of how the room got
> that way.

Quite possibly not even a mistake. I use "thrashed" in this sense quite
freely, myself--"trashed" is similar, but different in terms of how it
*feels*. "Trashed" means things are ripped apart, "thrashed" means
things look randomly strewn about, as if a tornado has come through.

A distinction without a difference, arguably, but there you are.

Interestingly, Urban Dictionary doesn't have this sense of "thrash*",
even though i'm not alone in using it--at the very least, my sisters and
my wife definitely use it freely (along with, and contrasting with,
"trash*"), and i'm pretty certain lots of other of my friends do.

--
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.

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