plural eggcorns
Definition of eggcorn
: a word or phrase that sounds like and is mistakenly used in a seemingly logical or plausible way for another word or phrase either on its own or as part of a set expression
Eggcorns … are a particular type of language error. Though incorrect, eggcorns are often more satisfying or poetic than the correct word or expression. If you didn't know how to spell the word "acorn," then "eggcorn" is a logical and satisfying alternative. — New Scientist Once described as a "slip of the ear," an eggcorn is the written expression of a plausible mishearing of a standard term. "For all intents and purposes," for example, is a set phrase—inherently redundant, perhaps, but it's the idiom. It gets misheard, though, as "for all intensive purposes," and sometimes appears that way in print. That's an eggcorn.— Ruth Walker This kind of phrase was named an "eggcorn" by Geoffrey Pullum, a linguist, in 2003, after that mishearing of "acorn". Many of them are quite logical, such as "wipe board" for "whiteboard", or "card shark" for "card sharp". — The Independent (London)
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for eggcorn
The first known use of eggcorn was in 2003
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