this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2024
36 points (74.3% liked)

Explain Like I'm Five

14421 readers
3 users here now

Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] ccunning 114 points 3 months ago (2 children)

the old wise tale

Old wives tale. There’s nothing wise about it…

[–] [email protected] 63 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] Zachariah 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yes! Eggcorns is by far the superior term for “alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements, creating a new phrase having a different meaning from the original but which still makes sense and is plausible when used in the same context.”

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Boneappletea is also an excellent term for a similar thing, where the "new" word or phrase makes no sense and is not plausible when used in the same context.

There will certainly be reasonable disagreements about which description is more apt in a given situation. One that comes to mind is Joey Tribbiani's use and explanation of "a moo point."

[–] Zachariah 3 points 3 months ago

Yeah, I’m just partial to eggcorn (term and concept).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What's the origin of the term eggcorn? A brief scan of the link didn't answer this for me. Is eggcorn itself an eggcorn?

[–] Zachariah 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What is it an eggcorn of? Acorn? And what's the origin?

[–] Zachariah 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Oh awesome and very interesting thank you!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago