"Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?

[David A. Daniel]

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Beverly Flanigan
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 1:05 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?


"Troll the ancient Yuletide carol"?  I've always heard it as "trill."  Can
you cite a source for "troll" as a type of singing?

Random House, M-W and Encarta are three.
DAD






At 11:15 AM 8/1/2007, you wrote:
>
>Yeah, trolling and trawling have been the same thing for a long time. Could
>have started as eggcorn, but also could be troll from French "troller" and
>trawl from Dutch "tragelen" as cited in some dictionaries. Could also be
>variations in spelling (maybe stemming from pronunciation, like cuss and
>curse) of which two took hold. That troll is also a fellow under a bridge
>(from Norse) and a type of singing (troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la
>la la la...) may be confusing but is not relevant.
>DAD
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>Joel S. Berson
>
>
>OED2 has for troll (v):
>  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.
>    In quot. 1606 perh. confused with trawl.
>[Citations form 1606 to 1984.]
>
>Joel
>
>At 8/1/2007 07:44 AM, you wrote:
>>A friend of mine who is an English professor at the University of
>>Pennsylvania posed this question:
>>
>>"Since when did the verb 'trawling,' borrowed from (or having the same
>>root as) ships and fishing, become 'trolling,' as in trolling for votes,
>>or for campaign dollars, or for justifications for going to war, etc.?
>>What does a hairy monster living under a bridge have to do with
>>in-gathering?"
>>
>>Any comments?  Is this an eggcorn?
>>
>>Fred Shapiro
>>
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