Eggcorn: foilage

[Benjamin Barrett]

On Oct 11, 2008, at 8:07 AM, Arnold M. Zwicky wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Eggcorn: foilage
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Oct 10, 2008, at 5:46 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
>> foilage for foliage. Google boats 227,000 hits. I've made this error
>> at least twice this year. BB
>
> certainly occurs as a typo, and probably as a simple misspelling as
> well (-iage being an uncommon letter-sequence, occurring after a
> single consonant letter only in "foliage"), but is there any evidence
> that some people think the meaning of the word involves foil or
> foiling?
>
> most likely, the spelling is an attempt to represent the very common
> two-syllable pronunciation (recognized by many dictionaries), but
> using the knowledge that the spelling has the letter I in it.
>
> so: almost surely not an eggcorn.
>

Thank you for the explanation. I'll make sure to read the definition
more carefully next time.

-----
Looking to see if I could find any evidence, I found two meanings for
"foilage."

1. A non-count version of "foil" (the silver stuff)

Also: too much foilage if you want red AND silver AND gold foil. (http://www.threadless.com/submission/149433/lonely_heart/showmore,designs
)

I want to make salmon in foil with beer. I heard that it comes out
moist. Should I add some sprinkly plastic chesse, you know it comes in
a green can, like a Pringles tube but green. Should I add it before or
after the foilage? (http://kraft.liveworld.com/topic/General-Discussions/Foil-Fish/1700000335
)

2. Something that foils

Foiling an action is much less than that. While yes, you can reliably
get up in the face of a dragon and foil its breath weapon, when it
spends its action simplyattacking, the big bad green guy comes in with
a Bite and two claws. Your foilage of a bite is good, but not nearly
as much of a damage shift as say adding sneak attack damage. (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=681572
)

I have a serious thrist for a CONSTITUIONAL amendment that will force
persons of foilage to report to the nearest nucular power plant for
physcho-assessment and debreeding…so the re-programming can begin. (http://rachellucas.com/index.php/2008/08/06/the-chemtrails-serve-many-masters/
)

This must be stopped before the truth is completely obscured by
nucular jabañero foilage. (http://fivepints.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html
)
-----

Also, here's a post with both "foilage" and "foiliage"

Several years ago I went to the Horseshoe Curve to watch trains. Well,
the foilage was so overgrown you couldn't see anything. I haven't been
back since. Sad, since that was my "home" back in late Penn Central/
early Conrail days (the place I lived was my parent's house).

A friend of ours is taking the train from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh and
she would like to know if the foilage has been trimmed back at
Horseshoe Curve. She would like to see the train she's on the way the
old-timers used to when they went around the curve.

So, my question is...since I haven't heard anything in a while...how
is the overgrown foiliage at Horseshoe Curve? (http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,350045
)
-----

I've found three citations of people making fun of "foilage,"
indicating there will be some prescriptivism on this for a while.
Here's one citation:

"Foilage"?  All I see is a buncha leaves... no foil anywhere but on
Brett's hat! (http://www.photokb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/photo-digital/43100/FALL-FOILAGE-LOVES-THE-20D
)

BB

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