[Ads-l] crook and cranny

[Peter Reitan]

Newspapers.com has examples of "crook and cranny" back to the 1820s.  A search for before 1860s gives about 12 examples.  A search for "nook and cranny" in the same period gives a little more than 200 hits.  If it originated as a "mistake" it's understandable as nooks and crooks (I think mainly of a shepherds' crook) are both angled or curved.
________________________________
From: Wilson Gray<mailto:hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: ‎7/‎13/‎2017 17:36
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: crook and cranny

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: crook and cranny
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> =E2=80=9Ccrook and cranny=E2=80=9D

Brand-new to me. I thought that you were going to say that the
non-native-speaker used "crook and cranny." I stand four-square behind
"nook and cranny" and "crook of the elbow."

On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 11:12 PM, Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com>
wrote:

> A non-native speaker of English just reviewed copy I wrote and corrected
> my =E2=80=9Ccrook and cranny=E2=80=9D to =E2=80=9Cnook and cranny.=E2=80=
=9D
>
> I think I=E2=80=99ve always understood =E2=80=9Ccrook=E2=80=9D to be some=
 sort of small corner or
> something. The expression is not in the Eggcorn Database, but is somewhat
> common.
>
> https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=3D20080922185112AApaZSe <
> https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=3D20080922185112AApaZSe>
> http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/17/messages/189.html <
> http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/17/messages/189.html>
>
> https://books.google.ca/books?id=3DoaHIBAAAQBAJ&pg=3DPT14&lpg=3D
> PT14&dq=3D%22crook+and+cranny%22&source=3Dbl&ots=3Dhi7Ma7iIlq&
> sig=3D9Q8_9F175UX4dD8PzcjRCGYJv_Y&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ved=3D
> 0ahUKEwio8rDuo4XVAhVGWRQKHaiiDXEQ6AEISTAI#v=3Donepage&q=3D%
> 22crook%20and%20cranny%22&f=3Dfalse <https://books.google.ca/
> books?id=3DoaHIBAAAQBAJ&pg=3DPT14&lpg=3DPT14&dq=3D%22crook+and+
> cranny%22&source=3Dbl&ots=3Dhi7Ma7iIlq&sig=3D9Q8_9F175UX4dD8PzcjRCGYJv_Y&=
hl=3Den&
> sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwio8rDuo4XVAhVGWRQKHaiiDXEQ6AEISTAI#v=3Donepage&q=3D"c=
rook and
> cranny"&f=3Dfalse>
>
> https://books.google.ca/books?id=3DdSFfD0dpdS4C&pg=3DPA595&lpg=3D
> PA595&dq=3D%22crook+and+cranny%22&source=3Dbl&ots=3DF7aJtFwKkh&sig=3D
> garx2cVSn8egKosajPcQx9v2IKU&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwio8rDuo4XVAhVGWRQ=
KHaiiD
> XEQ6AEITDAJ#v=3Donepage&q=3D%22crook%20and%20cranny%22&f=3Dfalse <
> https://books.google.ca/books?id=3DdSFfD0dpdS4C&pg=3D
> PA595&lpg=3DPA595&dq=3D%22crook+and+cranny%22&source=3Dbl&ots=3DF7aJtFwKk=
h&sig=3D
> garx2cVSn8egKosajPcQx9v2IKU&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwio8rDuo4XVAhVGWRQ=
KHaiiD
> XEQ6AEITDAJ#v=3Donepage&q=3D"crook and cranny"&f=3Dfalse>
>
> Wiktionary has =E2=80=9Ccrook and nanny=E2=80=9D (https://en.wiktionary.o=
rg/
> wiki/crook_and_nanny <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crook_and_nanny>) as
> a Spoonerism, but I don=E2=80=99t think that influenced me.
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Formerly of Seattle, WA
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--=20
-Wilson
-----
All say, "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

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