bridle/bridal

[Arnold Zwicky]

On May 28, 2009, at 8:25 PM, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: bridle/bridal
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 6:03 PM, Arnold Zwicky <zwicky at stanford.edu>
> wrote:
>>
>> On May 28, 2009, at 2:43 PM, Mark Mandel wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Parallel to "peddle" for "pedal".
>>
>> of course.  in Brians:
>>  http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/pedal.html
>
> The ECDB has "backpeddle" and "soft-peddle":
>
> http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/175/backpeddle/
> http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/455/soft-peddle/
>
> These should probably be combined into one entry with other examples
> of "pedal" -> "peddle".

each of these entries has a rationale for "peddle" in it.  but i don't
see any rationale for "peddle to school/work" or "bicycle peddle".
(though maybe there are those who think that people sell things off
"peddle-boats".*)

* "pedal"/"peddle" ratios (raw google webhits):
   X to school: 450.6
   X to work: 40.5
   bicycle X: 54.7
   X-boat: 6.04
(that is, an unusually large number of "peddle-boat" hits.)

meanwhile, there are errors in the other direction, with "pedal" for
"peddle":

   Lily Allen's father used her to pedal drugs ...
www.idiomag.com/peek/60937/lily%20allen

  One who pedals pipe-dreams to those who pedal drugs
www.senns.demon.co.uk/wdict.html

  The "Corrupt Bastards Club" - Alaska Influence Pedaling Sting. By
Steve Lombardi
www.uslaw.com/law_blogs/?item=286061

  Brown and Garrett call this restaurant adjacent to the rehab clinic,
McPharmacy, a favorite for the usual suspects pedaling pills and
powder ...
transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0407/24/cst.03.html

i'm still inclined to see most "peddle"/"pedal" errors as simple
spelling confusions based on homophony.

arnold

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