eggcorn? Baskinet

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Mar 9, 2010, at 7:26 PM, Herb Stahlke wrote:

>
> Bathinet sounds like another candidate for eggcornacy.

as far as i can tell, things called "bathinets" or
"bathinettes" ("Bathinette" is in fact trademarked) include a
bathtub.  the trademarked Bathinette is, according to NOAD2, nothing
*but* a bathtub, 'a portable folding bathtub for infants', but most of
these objects combine a bathtub with other features (a changing table,
storage space, etc.).  one company offers a bathinet that's "a
resting, changing, feeding and bathing space all in one bag with a
foot pump, support bolster and fitted sheet":
   http://www.growingroominc.com/whatsnew.html

in any case, "bathinet" is not just another name for a bassinet -- the
word looks like a straightforward portmanteau of "bath" and "bassinet"
-- while "baskinet" is, so "baskinet" looks like an eggcorn, with the
opaque "bass" part of "bassinet" replaced by the "bask" of
"basket" (so it looks like a portmanteau as well as an eggcorn).

arnold

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