wreak/wreck

[Mark A. Mandel]

Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU> :
>>>
 I've heard "wreck havoc" twice on the news in the last couple of days (with
ref. to hurricanes).  Is this common?
 <<<

Alas, yes. I suspect that, besides the semantic connection, it comes* partly
from misreading the very unfamiliar word "wreak", which is pretty much
obsolete apart from this idiom and a few expressions using the past
participle "wrought": wrought iron, "What hath God wrought?", others?

* Make that "originated". By now I'm sure it's spreading orally, especially
since it's in the newscasts.

-- Mark
[This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.]

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