passive "kowtowed" for "cowed"

[Jonathan Lighter]

I heard this once a few weeks back and disregarded it as a slip.

Shortsighted of me, of course.

JL

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 10:05 AM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      passive "kowtowed" for "cowed"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This morning on Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, I read the following:
>
> Scott Morgan smacks the LA Times for being kowtowed by Holder's threat:
> http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
>
> That's the first time I recall hearing or reading "kowtow" use as a
> passive.   Googling "kowtowed" produced three more examples out of the
> first hundred hits.  It looks like "kowtowed" is moving in on "cowed."
>
> Mika Brzezinski: Kowtowed Liberal
>
> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=109x35414
>
> I very much doubt the French are being kowtowed by terrorists
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1245965/French-u-turn-burka-ban-fears-terrorist-reprisals.html
>
> you can see plenty of non-Muslims wandering about while they're kowtowed.
> http://www.chilledtimes.com/archive/index.php?t-20691.html
>
> It looks like "kowtowed" is moving in on "cowed."
>
> Herb
>
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