strum up support

[David A. Daniel]

That too. (slobber, slobber) I was thinking in terms of "gumming up the
works". But dentures will do fine.
DAD

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Dennis Preston
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 11:40 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: strum up support


Why incompetents? Wouldn't it be people with their dentures out who
gummed up support?

dInIs



>
>Drum up also makes sense, whereas strum up does not. Everyone from military
>recruiters to snake oil salesmen has been drawing crowds for centuries by
>running around town beating on drums. That's why the expression "to drum
up"
>has been around for a couple centuries at least and why "strum up" is no
>more than a (perhaps oft-repeated) malaprop, or a phrase used to comedic
>effect referring to rock bands and such. On the other hand, I suppose you
>could imagine a minstrel walking about, strumming up support; or a group of
>porn stars cumming up support; or a group of idiots dumbing up support; or
a
>group of incompetents gumming up support; or an a cappella choir group
>humming up support; or...
>DAD
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>Dennis Preston
>Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 9:20 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>---
>
>You must be an anarchist! "Drum up" is traditional, preferred,
>correct. Not reason enough!
>
>dInIs
>
>
>
>>
>>I was curious what the preferred version might be, so I found the entry
>>at http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/928/strum-up/, where it says
>>that "drum up" is considered correct.
>>
>>I don't think that's enough to make me stop using "strum up," though. Is
>>there a specific reason why strum up support is dispreferred? It's still
>>using a musical instrument and it sounds better since it employs
>>alliteration..
>>
>>BB
>>
>>Andrea Morrow wrote:
>>>   >From a CNN article today on Chelsea Clinton's role in the
>>>presidential campaign:
>>>
>>>   Chelsea Clinton will spend three days there to strum up last-minute
>>>   votes before the state's Tuesday caucuses, said a source from her
>>>   mother's campaign.
>>>
>>>
>>>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/15/chelsea.clinton/index.html?iref=mp
s
>toryview
>>>
>>>   A quick google search for "strum up support" turns up over a million
>>>   hits, but most are obvious plays on words (a rock musician strums up
>>>   support for his show, etc.)
>>>
>>>   I see this usage is already in the eggcorn database, but it's the
>>>   first time I've seen it, and it seemed worth mentioning.
>>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>--
>Dennis R. Preston
>University Distinguished Professor
>Department of English
>Morrill Hall 15-C
>Michigan State University
>East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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

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