[Ads-l] clink = chink

[Jonathan Lighter]

ISTR "a clink in his armor" from many, many years ago, but can't say when.

'70s? '80s?

JL

On Sat, Oct 24, 2015 at 3:41 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: clink = chink
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> > On Oct 24, 2015, at 3:23 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> =
> wrote:
> >=20
> > CNN:
> >=20
> > "Is this a clink in Donald Trump's armor?"
> >=20
> > JL
>
> Maybe the new, sensitized version of the metaphor guaranteed not to =
> offend?  You'll remember what happened when a reporter suggested that =
> Jeremy Lin was "a chink in the armor" of the Knicks during the latter =
> days of Linsanity; I don't know of any groups that can be slurred by =
> referring to them as "Clinks"--unless perhaps it's those who have spent =
> time in prison. =20
>
> There are actually three dozen hits for "clink in the armor", suggesting =
> that it is a reasonably natural eggcorn for those who don't know from =
> (literal) chinks while recognizing that armor does, in fact, =
> clink--maybe when it hasn't been properly oiled and is therefore =
> vulnerable? =20
>
> LH
> >=20
> > --=20
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the =
> truth."
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DmjWp3ecT1yqDpb8imX230F03npCI7ZfMDmKAZIaZw8Y&s=3Dc2d6gj=
> CDBzbGek4nkWzVR5yZhbq1E7r9kgSERRUtqUA&e=3D=20
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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