Heard on Springer: "in the _first_ beginning..."

[Laurence Horn]

At 1:15 PM -0500 2/25/11, Wilson Gray wrote:
>Twenty-ish, black male speaker"
>
>"Well, in the _first_ beginning, the relationship was rocky."
>
>To paraphrase:
>
>"Yet it lives!"
>
>Throughout my grade-school years, 1942-1950, our teachers, white nuns
>of the Maryknoll Order, struggled unceasingly, yet unsuccessfully,
>from the first beginning to get us colored kids to stop using "_first_
>beginning" because of its illogic. Second Coming? Yes. Second
>beginning? No.
>
Somehow, bringing up "in the (first) beginning" along with the Second
Coming reminds me of the classic (genuine or pseudo-)eggcorn, as
exemplified in e.g.

===========
In the big inning, God created Heaven on Earth. And it was without
form, and void. God separated the dirt from the grass. He called the
grass Outfield and the dirt He called Infield. God made the Infield a
90-foot square and the Outfield not less than 400 feet to center and
320 feet down the lines. He declared this Fair Territory. All other
territory, God then declared, was Foul.

And God divided the players into two teams of nine players each,...
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2005/4/7birkemeier.html
==========
In the big inning, God created the Heaven and Earth, then brought in
Jamie Moyer to pitch the 2nd day.
http://twitter.com/JPosnanski/status/16349451363
==========

also on various religious sites, e.g.
http://www.urbana.org/gods-world/when-god-throws-you-a-curveball
http://www.fbcbelton.org/in-the-big-inning-a-devotional-thought/
http://www.examiner.com/christianity-in-st-paul/god-should-he-bat-cleanup-or-be-limited-to-pinch-hitting-duties

LH

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