typo or eggcorn?

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On May 31, 2006, at 5:16 PM, sagehen wrote:

> from Barry:
>> 11 July 1872, Boston <i>Daily Globe</i>, pg. 6:
>
>> " It was bold to presume anything of  the kind, bit it was bolder
>> far to
>> venture to >accost an Englishman, even in the  wiles of Africa,
>> without an
>> introduction."
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> Oh, those wiles!

four good (for some value of "good") google webhits on <"wiles of
Africa">, including one "darkest wiles of Africa".  plus one "whiles
of Africa".

<"darkest wiles"> picked up "the deepest, darkest wiles of Wiltshire".

<"deepest wiles"> got some actual wiles, but also "the deepest wiles
of Oxford West and Abingdon".

one "wiles of Alaska".  one "wiles of Montana".

i'd guess this arises from a misinterpretation in perception,
promoted by the reduction of the [d] in [ldz] in production.

arnold

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