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

[James A. Landau]

On Sun, 21 Feb 2016 10:27:24 Zone-0500  Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> a ecrit:
<begin quote>
We've discussed the reanalyses of the kind instantiated under the above 
heading at the eggcorn database, e.g.

tongue and cheek
hand and glove
commander and chief

front in center
puss in boots
foot in mouth disease [when inadvertent]
 
[One not listed in ecdb is a favorite of mine, encountered in the wild:  
"black and red fish".  And then there's Chip 'n' Dale furniture.]
<end quote>

"puss in boots", or more exactly "Puss in Boots", is the original, and "puss and boots" is the erroneous version.
The original was a story by Charles Perrault (12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) and in the original French entitled "Le Chat Botté".

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault

Now for a possible eggcorn of many years staading: "spit and polish".

"Spit and polish" does not seem to make any sense.  However, if the original were "spit in polish" then it becomes intelligble, if it in fact refers to the old military custom of "spit-shining" shoes and boots and other leather objects such as hat brims.  A small amount of water is put in the can of shoe polish (saliva can be used but as my sergeant told me, "Don't be gross").  A cotton ball is then used to transfer the wet polish to the leather.  After many applications and typically hours of work (soldiers in garrison have lots of time) a mirror-like polish is acquired.

Any comments?

And how would you classify the following error (this is a true story):  a novelist needed to make a reference to moonshine liquor in his book.  He remembered that the word "revenooer" had something to do with moonshine, so hepreceded to used "revenooer" to mean "someone who makes or sells moonshine liquor".  Mercifully a copy editor caught this blunder before it made it into print.

- Jim Landau   

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