Yankee eggcorn

[Laurence Horn]

At 1:44 PM -0700 9/22/08, N2life4 wrote:
>The correct phrase should be "never fails to amaze me" if
>one is trying to
>pay a compliment. ??  Did Jeter intend to compliment? He
>indicates the fans
>are not amazing!
>
>Jerri

He clearly meant the fans never cease (or, if you prefer, fail) to
amaze him, as is clear from both the general and local context of his
remarks.  But if it is an on-line blend or eggcorn, I'm sure the
source is "never cease" rather than "never fail", for phonological
reasons.

LH

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Laurence Horn" <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU
>>>>>   Derek Jeter to Peter Gammons on ESPN just now (after
>>>>>  the last
>>>>>game at Yankee Stadium): "The fans here never seem to
>>>>>amaze me."
>>>>
>>>>   Listen for yourself here (right at the beginning of the
>>>>  clip):
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=2378529&brand=
>>>>   null&videoId=3601782&n8pe6c=2
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>   The Eggcorn Database already has "never seize(s) to
>>>>>  amaze":
>>>>>
>>>>>   http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/351/seize/
>>>>>
>>>>>   ...but Google suggests "never seem(s) to amaze" is
>>>>>  about as common.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  http://www.google.com/search?q=never-seize|seizes-to-amaze
>>>>>
>>>>>  http://www.google.com/search?q=never-seem|seems-to-amaze
>>>>
>>>   And in particular "it never seems to amaze me on
>>>  how...", which I
>>>   can't even figure out what is an eggcorn for.
>>>
>>>   LH
>>~~~~~~~~~
>>   Surely it's for "it never ceases to amaze me....."
>>AM
>>
>I assume that that is indeed what "it never seems to amaze
>me (how)"
>is an eggcorn for, but where does the *on* come from?
>
>LH
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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