"Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?

Wed Aug 1 16:11:20 UTC 2007

I've known the meaning of "troll" as defined here and its metaphorical
extension to fishing for women or fishing for votes all of my life.
I'm truly astounded that anyone could or would find anything unusual
about it. Don't people read books or papers or glance through fishing
catalogs or visit parts of the country wherein dialects other than
their own are spoken, anymore?! WTF?!

-Wilson

On 8/1/07, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?
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> <font size=3>OED2 has for troll (v):<br>
>  V. 13. Angling. intr. To angle with a running line (? orig. with
> the line running on a 'troll' or winch); also (trans.) to fish (water) in
> this way; spec.  a. to fish for pike by working a dead bait (usually
> on a gorge hook) by a sink-and-draw motion;  b. (trans. and intr.),
> to angle with a spinning bait: = spin v. 12a, b;  c. in U.S. and Sc.
> use (perh. through association with trail or trawl), to trail a baited
> line behind a boat. Also fig.<br>
>    In quot. 1606 perh. confused with trawl.<br>
> [Citations form 1606 to 1984.]<br><br>
> Joel<br><br>
> At 8/1/2007 07:44 AM, you wrote:<br>
> <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">A friend of mine who is an
> English professor at the University of<br>
> Pennsylvania posed this question:<br><br>
> "Since when did the verb 'trawling,' borrowed from (or having the
> same<br>
> root as) ships and fishing, become 'trolling,' as in trolling for
> votes,<br>
> or for campaign dollars, or for justifications for going to war,
> etc.?<br>
> What does a hairy monster living under a bridge have to do with<br>
> in-gathering?"<br><br>
> Any comments?  Is this an eggcorn?<br><br>
> Fred Shapiro<br><br>
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