animals and non-animals

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

Isn't the point that etymology is not important to synchronic interpretation?

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 12, 2011, at 6:33 AM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> A commenter on a blog linked to an  "Animal Idioms" page.
>
> http://www.doghause.com/idioms.asp
>
> Mostly benign stuff, although some are poorly defined or unusually worded.
>
> But two stood out right away:
>
>    Bear the brunt
>    Bear down
>
> Wrong bear, I'm afraid--at least in the first instance... Almost a
> pseudo-eggcorn--faux etymology, but the spelling's unaffected. At least,
> they did not include "bear witness", not to mention bear up, bear off,
> bear date and to bring to bear. ;-)
>
> Same issue with
>
>    Duck out
>    Ticked off
>
> I am not up on etymology of "duck" verb, but if it's connected to the
> bird, the meaning split a millennium ago.
>
> Another odd one, for a different reason:
>
>    Have a chicken to pick with someone
>
> The meaning is obvious (at least, I believe it is--although it's just
> picking a [verbal] fight, not being nitpicky), but I'm not sure about
> the provenance. Is this really common or might it be a translation of
> someone else's ethnic idiom? It's one of only three I don't recognize
> (the others being "lamb down", and what's listed as "I swan").
>
> Also not sure what "get [] dander up" has to do with animals...
>
> "Three dog night" is labeled as Australian. Really? (The meaning listed
> is the same as UD.)
>
> "A tough dog to keep up on the porch" seems to be an unnecessarily
> sanitized version.
>
> Inevitably, there is
>
>    Sounding horse
>
> No, really--it's there! Well, one formal eggcorn, at least...
>
>    VS-)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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