[Ads-l] another entry for the "and <<>>in/en" files ("case and point")

[Joel Berson]

Larry, 


I only wonder whether "foot in mouth disease" is a pure eggcorn.  A politician who often blunders verbally might be characterized as having (chronic) foot in mouth *disease*.  That seems possibly to have a different origin than the foot and mouth disease of cattle.

I can't tell anything from the OED, which has no entry for "foot in ones mouth" and only two quotations, neither under "foot" or "mouth".


Joel





      *From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2016 2:50 PM
 Subject: Re: [ADS-L] another entry for the "and <<>>in/en" files ("case and point")
   
> On Feb 21, 2016, at 2:37 PM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:
> 
> Doesn't "foot in mouth disease" have a life independent of, and arising separately from, "foot and mouth disease", especially when inadvertent?  
> 
I put "inadvertent" to distinguish the eggcorn from the pun (cf. along the same lines "kitten caboodle")
> 
> And I can visualize a "puss in boots".  Is there a "puss and boots" anywhere?

It began as "puss and boots" (in the fairy tale) according to whatever source I checked several years back.  I agree that "puss in boots" makes more sense and maybe I mistranscribed it.  I've certainly seen it both ways (as with "hand in/and glove").  I see the cat food is officially "Puss'n Boots", splitting (or splitt'n) the difference.

LH

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


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