The rebirth and use of the _merkin_
Jonathan Lighter
wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Thu Mar 24 12:42:27 UTC 2011
Here's the vector that must have done the most to repopularize awareness of
"merkin" (though I'm not at all sure that the word is as well known as some
believe):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064123/
The groundwork was laid by _Dr. Strangelove's_ "President Merkin Muffley."
JL
On Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 7:34 AM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: The rebirth and use of the _merkin_
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I wonder if "merkin" for American was born as an eggcorn.
> =20
> Instead of saying "I'm an American"=2C one might say "I'm American".
> which=
> might be heard as "I'm a merican" (if one is expecting the article "a" or
> =
> "an" there). Which can be misheard as "I'm a merkin".
> =20
> Some USA accents might say "I'm a merkin". In Philly for Maryland I've
> hea=
> rd them say Merlin.
>
> Tom Zurinskas=2C Conn 20 yrs=2C then Tenn 3=2C NJ 33=2C now FL 9.
> The FREE English-based phonetic converters=2C URL and text =2C are at
> trues=
> pel.com
>
> =20
> =20
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------=
> ------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: The rebirth and use of the _merkin_
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >=20
> > On Wed=2C Mar 23=2C 2011 at 4:31 PM=2C Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.
> =
> edu> wrote:
> > > "a public wig". =C2 Obviously=2C she takes it off in
> > > private.
> >=20
> > That's actually food for thought. Did the writer go to write "pubic"
> > and inadvertently misspell it? Or was it the intention to sneak in a
> > little pun? As when the female protagonist of a TV show casually
> > mentioned that her male friend=2C an underwater welder=2C could hold his
> > breath for three minutes=2C when he went down.
> >=20
> > I'm surprised that the censors let that one go. After all=2C an
> > underwater welder doesn't work holding his breath.
> >=20
> > --
> > -Wilson
> > -----
> > All say=2C "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> > to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > -Mark Twain
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> =
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
--
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