" Olive, the other reindeer"; was Re: "Trolling" for "Trawling": An Eggcorn?

[Wilson Gray]

Is "Olive, the other reindeer" a mishearing of "Oh, how the other
reindeer"? It's the only thing that I can think of that comes close to
making sense. Even so, I get the nonsensical "Oh [laiv] the other
reindeer"' more easily than "Olive."

-Wilson

On 8/2/07, Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at ohio.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: " Olive, the other reindeer"; was  Re: "Trolling" for
>               "Trawling": An Eggcorn?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I have a cartoon from either Dennis the Menace or Family Circus  that uses
> this line; I use it in class every year.  But whether it's original or not
> I don't know; both cartoons use a lot of word play, so maybe the
> cartoonists either made them up or drew from their own family lives.  I
> mentioned this years ago here, so it may be documented more fully in the
> archives.
>
> At 04:24 PM 8/2/2007, you wrote:
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
> >Subject:      Re: " Olive, the other reindeer"; was  Re: "Trolling" for
> >               "Trawling": An Eggcorn?
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Was "Olive, the other reindeer" actually (mis)understood this way by a =
> >child (as, e.g. "Pontius Pilot" or "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear") or was =
> >this consturction with Olive humorously invented by an adult?
> >=20
> >Gerald Cohen
> >
> >________________________________
> >
> >From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Arnold M. Zwicky, Thu =
> >8/2/2007 10:26 AM
> >
> >
> >
> >On Aug 1, 2007, at 7:26 PM, Lary Horn wrote:
> >
> > > Well, we've established that there is such a verb as "troll", with
> > > precisely the appropriate meaning, but its currency is severely
> > > limited.  Because of this, I wonder if there be young lads and lasses
> > > scattered about who have innovated an eggcornish reading of this
> > > line, i.e.
> > >
> > > Troll, the ancient Yuletide carol
> > >
> > > --alongside its companion,
> > >
> > > Gladly, the cross-eyed bear
> >
> >now added to the posting, along with "Olive, the other reindeer".
> >
> >arnold
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org