semantic drift: "wrought" = ?

Barbara Need nee1 at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU
Tue Dec 18 17:06:41 UTC 2007


How about a mis-hearing of "fraught"?

Barbara

Barbara Need
UChicago

On 18 Dec 2007, at 10:59, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> None of the OED senses, including that of "wrought-up," seems to
> fit here.  "Overwrought" is possible, but even that seems like a
> stretch.   From a mishearing of "rotten with"?
>
>   1999 Laura Schlessinger, in Dean Memering & William Palmer
> _Discovering Arguments_ (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall,
> 2002) 123: It's the hyperbole that always gets me. The pro-abortion
> feminists are wrought with it. Take, for example, Gloria Steinem's
> quote eulogizing Justice Blackmun (author of _Roe_ vs. _Wade_):
> "Justice Blackmun saved more women's lives than any other person in
> history."
>
>   "Dr. Laura" is well known radio talk-show host.
>
>   JL
>
>
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