strum up support

[David A. Daniel]

>If you gum up support you do not cause it to come about
>but cause it to be sloppy or even derailed (i.e., gummed up).

QED and Ed Zachary. That's why I said incompetents did it. See?

DAD

>
>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=m
p
>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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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

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