Are you getting these phrases wrong too? | EGGCORNS

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Eggcorns are no "old wise tale". These misheard phrases are everywhere. In this video we look at lots of examples of these amusing mishaps and try to understand why they happen, with the help of Professor Mark Liberman who helped coin the term "eggcorn". We also discuss other linguistic calamities, including malapropisms, folk etymologies and mondegreens.
==LINKS==
Prof. Liberman's blog post inspired by our chat: languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll...
The Bonnie Earl O' Moray song: • 7. The Bonnie Earl 'O ...
Online eggcorn database: eggcorns.lascribe.net/browse-...
⭐️PATREON COMMUNITY: patreon.com/robwords
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==CHAPTERS==
0:00 Introduction
0:45 What is an "eggcorn"?
1:45 Mark Liberman explains the name
3:57 Malapropisms
5:20 Rob's confession
5:56 Mondegreens - origin & Hendrix
7:27 Spot the eggcorns with NordVPN
9:00 Eggcorns aren't stupid
10:20 Butt naked or buck naked?
11:50 Old Timer's Disease, wet your appetite, just desserts
13:25 Damp squid or damp squib
14:08 Historic eggcorns
14:53 Folk etymologies: Jerusalem artichoke
17:31 Call for foreign eggcorns
Edited with Gling AI: bit.ly/46bGeYv

[@RobWords]

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[@user-ju1lk5wj8q]

I would love to see a video on English words which came from Indian languages. Please make a video on that. Please 🙏🙏🙏

[@paulmagnuson1021]

That was unquestionably the best VPN ad of all time!

[@unmanaged]

as soon as a vpn ad-vert started I stopped watching ....

[@GopherBaroque61]

It makes no deference to me... Hay! Ewe axed ferret.

[@nancylee8061]

Feeble position 🤣🤣🤣. In Texas they use "butt naked" all the time. When I moved there I thought it was just a Texan thing.

[@meytecc8601]

My biggest pet peeve is "I could care less" which completely 180s the meaning of the phrase. Yet, you hear it more often than "I couldn't care less".

[@RCSVirginia]

@meytecc8601 I talk to people all the time who were never taught in school that it is "I couldn't care less," or the difference betwixt "lay" and "lie," or that "myself" is neither used as an object or a subject. One does wonder, "What were they taught?"

[@dennyaudio]

mine too.

[@JB9000x]

For me, it's the confusion between Sliver and Slither. I hate correcting people, but every time someone asks for a slither of cake I have to tell them it's a cake, not a snake!

[@allan8910]

This one's just sarcasm

[@LincolnDWard]

@@RCSVirginia wait - when are you supposed to use "myself" then? All uses for nouns that I know of (outside of parenthetical appositives) can be classified as either a subject or an object (direct object of the verb, indirect object of the verb, or object of the preposition). I pretty much exclusively use it as an object (direct object as in "I hit myself in the head," indirect object as in "I gave myself a gift," preposition-object as in "I'm by myself") I suppose it's sometimes used as an adverb ("I did it myself") rather than as a pronoun - is that what you're referring to as the "correct" usage?

[@CristieHenry]

A friend of mine had always called a chest of drawers "Chester Drawers" and - not sure this is an eggcorn but - a friend of my husband's believed as a child that there was a household deity called the Time Being because her parents left temporary offerings to it, as they would say, "We can leave that there for the time being."

[@noamtashma617]

wow "the time being" is one of the best ones here. It's geniusly hilarious

[@Edward_Hodges]

I thought it was Chester draws for a long time. Chester is just where i thought the furniture originated from.

[@adamcetinkent]

​@@Edward_HodgesIt's probably near Chesterfield

[@samweldon8104]

You just converted me to belief in the Time Being. Every time I hear or use that phrase from now on I’ll be thinking of appeasing some wrathful temporal deity.

[@michaelgarrow3239]

I think I have found enlightenment!!! 😎

[@aramoana1447]

“For all intensive purposes” is a personal favourite

[@mikemcnair2026]

I like to slip in for all infant porpoises sometimes to see if people notice.

[@johnmoore8067]

This drives me crazy! I swear I hear it more often than the correct phrase.

[@nunocolon]

@@johnmoore8067😂 this one kinda drives me nuts too

[@KillerTruffle]

I just ran into one today I'd never seen before - "Learning curb." Seems to meet all the qualifications, including being a reasonable interpretation since a curb may be much more difficult to drive up, but not impossible. lol

[@maryanneschell2078]

How about "Curb your enthusiasm"

[@KillerTruffle]

​@@maryanneschell2078 I don't think that's an egg corn. I believe that's the actual phrase.

[@FourthRoot]

My favorite eggcorn is "Duck Tape" which is a rather remarkable DOUBLE eggcorn. Most people think duck tape is the incorrect form of duct tape and that the name of the product refers to its application to duct work. But the problem is that that "duct tape" isn't actually made for ventilation. If you research the history of the tape, you would learn that it was originally named for the cloth like substrate known as "duck" that gives it strength. So it was originally called "duck tape," but over time, it became known as duct tape because it seems like it's designed for ducts (even though it isn't). Ironically "duct tape" became so ubiquitous that the brand name "Duck Tape" was presumed to be a play on words and is now a registered trademark in the US, which should not be possible considering the proper original name for the product was always "duck tape".

[@sharonshookup]

I used to use duct tape all the time for duct work and got very frustrated when I found out that all of my duct tape was failing on the heat of the duct. Some of the duct work is buried in the walls and I can't replace it now !!

[@FourthRoot]

@@sharonshookup The fact that duck tape is ubiquitously referred to as "duct tape" and that duck tape is now trademarked is one of the greatest crimes ever committed against the english language, second only to Merriam-Webster literally using the words "not literally" in their definition of "literally", which I can't even think about without shaking with rage.

[@VinceBlack536]

Duck tape was used in ww2 for tapping pants legs do they did not get wet feet hence duck tape

[@FourthRoot]

@@VinceBlack536 Sounds like apocryphal. The product was already called duck tape prior to WWII because it used cotton duck as a substrate.

[@stanleyhape8427]

All Band Aids are adhesive bandages, but not all adhesive bandages are Band Aids . The same goes for Duck Tape and duct tape .

[@dinodinoulis923]

When I was at school, my English teacher told me not to worry about spelling or grammar because in the future there will always be autocorrect, and for that I am internally grapefruit.

[@Kay-kg6ny]

😂😂😂

[@bunnyslippers191]

Autocorrect is like having a very small elf living in your phone who is, unfortunately, extremely drunk. That's why it's wrong so often.

[@bcaye]

NICE

[@markrusselli3802]

Except autocorrect always makes me say things I didn't Nintendo

[@888YungStatic888]

Doggy Dog World is the one I said wrong my whole life, and I found out like 2 years ago it was Dog EAT Dog World. It blew my mine because it makes infinitely more sense to me

[@dreamingwolf8382]

The whole "whet your appetite" makes perfect sense to me. You use a whet stone to sharpen a knife or blade, so in a sense you are being asked to "sharpen your appetite, or to make your appetite more keen".

[@mike200017]

Wait what?!? It's a whet stone, and not a wet stone? Dang it!

[@catgladwell5684]

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song Hunting Tigers Out In India has the very funny line "tigers don't go out on rainy nights, they've no need to w(h)et their appetites", exploiting that particular play on words.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

Right?

[@Richard_Nickerson]

​@@mike200017 Yup

[@jlaughlin1973]

@@mike200017 it's not a whet stone. It's a whetstone.

[@B3VAN1]

Probably the most effective use of an ad in a KZbin video, forcing watchers to actually watch the full ad and not skip ahead. Definitely deserves a like 👍

[@VincentFastFingers]

I skipped it.

[@UndecidedSociety]

​@VincentFastFingers I also skipped it. Thanks, sponserblock!

[@Mikelaxo]

I skipped it lol

[@user-ff4tw8uf4b]

I enjoyed it

[@nickzivanovic]

I hate in-video ad reads, but that was the most inventive way I've seen a KZbinr incorporate one. Good job, Rob.

[@utha2665]

I use a sponsor block but it skipped to the list and asking how many did you get. A good way to force one to go back and watch the ad, quite inventive, it wouldn't surprise me if it was done on purpose 😁

[@WolvenMother]

I swear he uses the ad reads to have as much linguist fun as possible.

[@eternaloptimist2840]

I usually fast-forward the sponsorship spiel, I may have to go back and listen to this one.

[@shaneintheuk2026]

I too watched a whole sponsor ad for the first time ever

[@pamjgmail9379]

Yes, it was a clever way to get us to watch the sponsor spiel. Bravo!

[@rottndachs]

I retired from assembly line work. Almost everyone had "corporal" tunnel. The first time I heard it I laughed and said it must be a major pain.

[@jovetj]

And a general distraction from getting work done. You can sure admiral their can-dew spewit, though.

[@gary_rumain_you_peons]

Not carpet tunnel?

[@rottndachs]

@@gary_rumain_you_peons nope, corporal tunnel. But I like carpal tunnel.

[@gary_rumain_you_peons]

@@rottndachs I've heard it called carpet tunnel. Never did work out what the underlaying issue was.

[@danasummers2817]

My old boss said CORPORATE tunnel 😂

[@Joshdr99]

I don't know where this falls but I work in pest control in Texas and there are a lot of little geckos. The insurance commercials for Geico with the gecko have confused a lot of people who now complain about all the giecos they have around the house 😂

[@A-Nonnie-Mouse]

😂🤣

[@philrobbie1670]

i have one that may only be relevant to NZ vernacular, , but its a common turn of phrase here is to say that you 'felt gutted' when your bike was stolen, you lost a game of rugby or even more serious things like your girlfriend left you or your cat got run over. it evokes the idea of literally having your stomach and bowels removed, that horrible empty feeling in your guts, 'gutted like a fish'. i know at least a few people that say they 'are guttered' taking it to mean they feel like they have ended up in the street gutter, or alternatively, have gotten a gutter ball in tenpin bowling. i have to confess it bothers me way more than it should.

[@6052rj]

A "turner phrase", surely?

[@IntolerantOgre]

My favorite and most frustrating is when someone insist something is a “mute” point instead of a “moot” point.

[@Barghaest]

I prefer the version from Friends. “It’s a moo point. It’s like a cow, it doesn’t matter!” 😜

[@alexbarber1566]

@@Barghaest yeh a cows opinion, classic Joey

[@marthathompson2012]

@@alexbarber1566exactly!

[@cynthiashipley9486]

The "moo point" would be a muglare (not sure on spelling) wouldn't it, as Joey was commonly trying to sound educated like his friends who went to college, but he just didn't get it. But the moot point/mute point most definitely are eggcorns especially since, if I remember it correctly, moot means unspoken of where as mute means not spoken/speaking. Either way, they are unheard.

[@G.G.8GG]

With you on this. Thank you!

[@AtticusDragon]

Best I've heard: Years ago a coworker was furious at my manager and declared "You burnt your britches with me Mike!!!!". It was pretty epic, and while I recall he had good reason to be angry, nobody could take him seriously.

[@Jan-qv8ku]

Those are some “hot pants”!

[@AtticusDragon]

@@Jan-qv8ku haha well played

[@andyman8630]

crossing burnt bridges often results in burns britches!

[@jcmick8430]

Good thing Mike wasn't too big for his bridges

[@corit7889]

I guess after that he'd be "all mouth and no trousers." (Not an eggcorn, but an expression I was most amused to hear on British tv).

[@RechtmanDon]

Years ago a friend of mine described a failing lawn mower as "it's on it's left leg." I grew up thinking the phrase was 'State tuned."

[@scottanos9981]

"Free Reign" instead of "Free Rein" was my mistake in understanding 😅

[@RechtmanDon]

@@scottanos9981 When it reigns, it pours. (I just made that one up! 😜 )

[@Randomhero3]

State tuned is pretty true too. Good egg corn

[@stickyfox]

did he ever say you "left tit" behind the bush? :) that was a favorite at my landscaping job.

[@law_wren]

Television programming has largely been an operation of the government so State Tuned is apt!

[@miriamk6971]

In German, there is a phrase used to express looming fury about to discharge which is "Mir platzt gleich die Hutschnur" roughly translating to "My hat string is about to burst any second". As a child, my little sister thought it would be "Wutschnur" (fury string) instead of "Hutschnur" (hat string), as hats with hat strings were something she only knew from Wild West movies or cowboys so hat strings weren't really a thing for her. Another word she created as a child was "Esstaurant" (eat-aurant) instead of "Restaurant". I just learned that English has an 'official' colloquialism for this case which is "eatery". With my little sister in mind, I think "eatery" is just lovely. :)

[@MermaidTheory]

She probably couldn’t quite say her R’s and if no one corrected her thinking it’s because she couldn’t pronounce the R, she probably thought she was saying it correctly the entire time.

[@robby4509]

Your little sister’s German is hilarious and so precious. Hutschnur to Wutschnur and Esstaurant from Restaurant - genius lol

[@jettlethedragonpeeltheoran8915]

One I am surprised you left out is "duck tape" for duct tape. This has become so prevalent that a brand called Duck Tape has arisen to take advantage of it, meaning that since the product really exists now, it has sort of nullified the eggcorn.

[@LucienHughes]

As another commenter said, this is actually a double eggcorn. Duct tape was originally made from "duck canvas" which comes from the Dutch "doek". It has nothing to do with ducts.

[@seigeengine]

The history of duck vs duct tape is a whole mess. It was originally duck tape after the fabric it was made with. Duct tape emerged as a brand name for a variant of duck tape used to seal ducts. Now we've even got "Duck Brand Duct Tape" which is really duck tape minus the duck, and it ain't got to do with ducks. Rather, the word duck for the fabric comes from a Dutch word.

[@owensspace]

There’s also a brand that calls it duck tape

[@functionatthejunction]

Duck tape is the original.

[@Primatologie]

See, that was an egg corn for me for a completely different reason that what everyone else is saying, so there's a whole 'nother layer. I always thought it was duct tape, but once I forgot that it was because it sealed ducts, I thought it was because of the lines of fabric that criss cross the material like ducts criss cross each other throughout buildings, lol. This is egg corn-ception. 😂

[@angelaostrich8700]

I once emailed a boss to let them know I’d be sending them “the whole kitten caboodle” the next day. She let me know she couldn’t stop laughing at the thought of what a “kitten caboodle” would look like, but in future I may want to write “the whole kit and caboodle” instead. Not sure if that counts as an eggcorn, but whatever it is, it still makes me smile.

[@tb6303]

Sounds like an eggcorn to me. It also made me laugh - sounded like something someone would knit and put a kitten in.

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

I vote to rename a litter of kittens to a caboodle.

[@hollybean790]

Good sport!

[@crcastillo615]

Me too😂

[@Tera_GX]

I now need to see a kitten kaboodle. Also I caught that typo immediately after I typed it, but I'll leave it in because that too is interesting on this topic.

[@blastpressure710]

I have to say, I am astonished at how well you’ve done incorporating the ad read into this video. I normally skip by them but I kept through it and it felt natural. Bravo.

[@leavingthezone876]

For so many years of my life I thought “play it by ear” was “play it by year” because I thought it referred generally to the concept of planning out your years one by one instead of getting ahead of yourself and planning your whole future. It made sense still in context so it went unchecked for so long.

[@carolb8652]

As a child, I thought I was pledging allegiance to the republic “for Richard Stands”. He got my loyalty until I was in 3rd grade.

[@bzbzob]

"For witches stands," for the goth kids....

[@chrismanuel9768]

Ah yes, the mind control pledge of servitude they used to force all kids to recite when they didn't even know what they were saying 😂 I'm glad most schools have phased it out. It's silly for a number of reasons, not least of which being that you can't pledge allegiance if you don't know what those words are.

[@mikegallo5922]

🤣🤣

[@baldevis]

I pledge a legion - to the flag - of the United Snakes of America - and to the public - for witches' stands - one nation - underdog - invisible - with liver, tea, and justice - f'rall.

[@DrWhom]

_by the donzerly light_

[@Aserash]

There is a charming eggcorn in Afrikaans, Bromkatjies (pronounced bromkaikees). It is a mis-hearing of the English word bronchitis, the chest infection. But Bromkatjies literally translates thus: brom is like a grumbling hum, like what you do when you are unhappy with something, and katjies are kittens. So when you have bronchitis, you have grumbling kittens. Perfect.

[@Mabeloid]

oh this might be a phono-semantic matching actually! they're very interesting too

[@JeroenJA]

South African is so imaginative dutch :-). I just pronounce bronchitis the dutch spelling way..

[@michelepascoe6068]

Love that!

[@davidparker9676]

It really is terrible having grumbling kittens, what do you egg speck? Purr-fection?

[@berniceporter8839]

Hi there fellow South African!!

[@champyton437]

in canada the wind in winter can effect how the temperature feels compared to what it reads on a thermometer, its called "wind chill factor" but when its really cold out windshields freeze up too so I called my brother out on calling it "windshield factor" before, or another one would be "bleed like a stuck pig" often gets said as "stuffed pig"

[@NorAAAh]

I think the worst to me right now is the ever-growing misuse of "Voila!" People are saying "Walla!" Drives me CRAZY! And it's only a matter of time it becomes adopted as a real word because of the sheer number of people using it. What this all comes down to is people aren't reading enough. They've never seen these words and phrases in written form.

[@bevbarry9637]

I am in my late 40s and only realised that the word was pronounced that way in the past few years. I did a lot of reading up until my early to mid 30s and the word was always strange to me. Made so much sense once I figured it out. Definite 🤦‍♀️ moment

[@autonomouscollective2599]

I couldn’t bring myself to correct a friend who kept saying, repeatedly, she was going to mail something in a vanilla envelope.

[@CarbageMan]

Oh, that's a good one!

[@squee599]

Oh yes that one drives me wild!

[@doriannewendymarsh5266]

It's yellow-brown, like it was stained with vanilla.

[@erniebuchinski3614]

It only makes sense; they're usually cheaper than the chocolate ones, after all.

[@WellManNerd]

You’re a better person than I am. I make sure people know the truth🤣🤣

[@MrVvulf]

The eggcorn that gets my goat is when people write (you can't tell when spoken), "That peaked my interest.".

[@masterimbecile]

Yeah I think that totally counts!

[@evilbob840]

Good one!

[@stevegill1157]

Brilliant ...that one gets me too

[@Sam_Green____4114]

why what should it be ?

[@dunastie]

@@Sam_Green____4114 I think it should be piqued instead of peaked

[@The_Pariah]

"I could care less" is one of the worst out there. People don't grasp that they're saying they *COULD* care less, ultimately meaning the opposite of what they're trying to convey.

[@Monody512]

"Just desserts" got me. I never knew that etymology relating to "deserve", and always assumed the single 's' variant was a typo as "desert" and "dessert" already get mixed up quite often. I also blame the Yu-Gi-Oh card.

[@HeyNonyNonymous]

There's a really good example of an eggcorn that is probably so old and commonly used, that the original version is all but forgotten: Parting shot, originally, is Parthian shot: named after the mounted Partian archers and their ability to turn around in their saddles and release an accurate arrow shot while retreating.

[@sarahrosen4985]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@Nyxwraith]

I never heard of the original until today.

[@johnle6982]

And I assume a horde of mounted Partian Archers had something to do with mounting something or someone at a party?

[@HeyNonyNonymous]

@@johnle6982 Not really. The Parthians were an empire that existed alongside the Romans, and were considered in many ways their arch nemesis as the Romans were never able to defeat them and suffered some horrific defeats trying (look for Historia Civilis' video about the battle of Carrhae for a chilling example). They weren't some wild horde, but a very ancient, well established state by the time the Romans came along.

[@stephenlee5929]

@@johnle6982 I'm going with, that's the Mountain I will die on.😁

[@RobJMore]

Presidents and ambassadors can say eggcorns and malapropisms because they have diplomatic impunity.

[@61hink]

Two thumbs up.

[@lisasweeney8158]

Lol

[@big_freedom65]

30 years ago someone corrected me for saying "mute point" and "jerry rigged". I have had many interesting conversations with others regarding Eggcorns since. Occasionally, some can be quite stubborn when challenged with "moot point" and "jury rigged" to the point of anger.=)

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Jury rigged and jerry-rigged are two diff things Jerry is a slur for Germans So German rigged (best could do, but not done that well)

[@mackdeen7021]

@@YeshuaKingMessiah i believe you are correct. Was used in WWII. I use Jerry Rigged…I think that one changed and now is the more common phrase.

[@garyfowler5585]

Just found this-- great fun! I offer another eggcorn, which may be mentioned in the 1000's of commenters before me: "quick claim deed" rather than the proper "quit claim deed." It is quick, true, so this eggcorn makes sense, but the accurate "quit claim" refers to a phrase usually used in that document, something like "I hereby quit any claim I may have on this property." I have subscribed, by the way, and I'll be enjoying many more of your videos. Thank you!

[@ryanmykytowich7741]

Although I never knew about "egg corns" at the time, a fine example comes to mind from the TV show Friends. Joey says something about a "moo point". Monica (I think) says, "Don't you mean a moot point?" And Joey replies, "No, a moo point. It's like a cow's opinion: it just doesn't matter."

[@stolencoats63]

That joke is udderly terrible.

[@f16ure_it_0ut8]

Teats(to each) their own.

[@AM-hf9kk]

Oof - I hear "mute point" all the time (rather than "moot").

[@3arthIsGhetto]

People in the comments are really milking the puns 😂

[@misters2837]

The Nexflix show "The Ranch" and the "Fish's Cycle" (Has no legs so can't pedal!) - for Vicious Cycle

[@Figgy5119]

In Japanese before kids can read kanji and they just write everything in kana, it's often believed the word for watermelon (スイカ), suika is sui-ka (水果) which is water-fruit. But it's actually su-ika (西瓜), meaning western-melon.

[@katharina...]

This just tickled my brain in so many different ways! 😁👍

[@Shrapnel82]

Interesting. In China, the writing is the same, and xi-gua (西瓜) also means "watermelon", while shui-guo (水果) mean's fruit in general.

[@Landoverse]

Score one for Chinese! Japan’s super-simple pronunciation seems like a blessing until you realize it’s a curse. Everything’s a farking homophone.

[@intelligentcomputing]

"WREAK havoc" (correct) vs. "WRECK havoc" (incorrect) and "the results varied WIDELY" (correct) vs. "the results varied WILDLY" (incorrect)

[@JimBeKind]

These remind me of the great works of Richard Lederer and his awarding of the Pullet Surprise for the best written ones! My favorite was always "Magellan circumcised the globe with a 40-foot clipper." 😅😅

[@mikemcnair2026]

Here in the states we have an annual summoning of the superb owl.

[@UK_Canuck]

The Hong Kong flu pandemic broke out in 1968. My brother had no knowledge of a place called Hong Kong but, with all the coughing going on, to his five year old mind it made perfect sense to think people were calling it the Honk-Honk flu. 😁

[@DawnDavidson]

Oh that is just precious! 😂

[@DarthPoyner]

He was just predicting Bird Flu.

[@goober112]

woah like Hong Kong phuey

[@jocelynnowen3078]

Funny

[@gearmeister]

Brill!!! 😂😂😂

[@Tom-ahawk]

One of the best jokes from MASH. 'They have an edible complex, it's where you can't love any food other than your mother's cooking'

[@napoleon6221]

I think my favorite mash joke is a bit where Margret keeps answering questions for Frank to Henry and Henry says “Frank if you don’t shut up I’m going to have to punch her in the mouth”….. also basically any joke in a scene that has col. Flagg

[@Uarehere]

Yes, jokes! I'm sure they can explain the number of these egg corns!

[@timmah2723]

So would “refried beans” be a folk etymology? “Refried beans” are only fried once. English speakers assumed that the word “refritos” in the term “frijoles refritos” meant “refried,” when it actually means “well fried.” As a Texan who speaks Spanish and also loves some good Mexican & Tex-Mex food, that has always amused me.

[@mikemcnair2026]

Look up the etymology of chimichanga if you want a good laugh.

[@pieroshiki]

one that took me a bit to realize was "roll call", i kept thinking of it as "role call" since when a teacher would list our names, it'd be like listing our role as a student of some sorts. super interesting!!! i'm glad i rediscovered this linguistic phenomenon.

[@Adeodatus100]

Once when my uncle was seriously ill, my aunt wrote that he was "in tents of care", which I thought was kind of lovely

[@JaimeMesChiens]

As an ICU RN, I, also, think “in tents-of care” is lovely. ❤

[@onemercilessming1342]

@JaimeMesChiens Especially oxygen tents. Are they even used any more?

[@michaelwisniewski6047]

Same thing really, for all intensive purposes…

[@onemercilessming1342]

@@michaelwisniewski6047 *...intents and purposes...

[@philippedemontauvant5565]

LOL

[@BurningNero22]

I recently found out I've been using a german eggcorn for many, many years: the german word for the sound-producing lamella in the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments like the saxophone or clarinet is "Blättchen". It's the diminutive of the word "Blatt" or "Rohrblatt" which translates to the english "reed". Since the first time I heard someone mention it, I thought they said "Plättchen", which means "small sheet" and perfectly made sense to me, due to the shape of the reed: thin and flat (or german: "platt"). I thought I was correct for at least 20 years. Now I know I eggcorned myself.

[@tiltil9442]

Soft plosives indicate origin (or bringing up) in the South of Germany (or in Austria). Rund um Berlin oder Hannover passieren solche "Weichheiten" seltener.

[@luna-p]

My mother is German. I never learned the language, just individual words, like body parts and such, when I was a kid. Took me a long time to realize that I was not learning the actual words, but made-up versions ending in the diminutive -chen. Glad I never embarrassed myself by sharing them with other Germans, though I may have misinformed some classmates.

[@doubleT84]

@@luna-p Fingerchen, Ärmchen, Beinchen, Näschen, Penischen, ...

[@luna-p]

@@doubleT84 Lolol

[@ttintagel]

I used to hang out on Disney Parks forums, and when prix fixe meals started getting popular, I noticed a lot of people writing it as "prefix." That makes it sound like just an appetizer.

[@mikeylorene]

At a party, I heard a server holding a tray of canapes, ask a person if they would like some can-apes. To this day I wished I had said, no, it's can-a-peas!

[@PoArquero]

I asked my mom if she wanted to go to a tapas bar with me for lunch. She turned bright red and said, "Very funny," but she wasn't laughing

[@markkettlewell7441]

In the old Partridge in a Pear tree carol, the Americans completely lost the meaning of ‘four colly birds’ by substituting the words ‘calling birds’. The original song used the word “colly” to mean sooty black (black birds), we get the words coal and colliery from the same root.

[@DarqJestor]

Thank you for explaining that. Since I was a kid I wondered what four "calling" birds meant. And the derivation of coal and collier are interesting too.

[@markkettlewell7441]

@@DarqJestor Etymology is a fascinating subject. The Chambers dictionary of Etymology is a great starting place 😄

[@DarqJestor]

@@markkettlewell7441 Thanks so much. It does sound quite fascinating. I will definitely check it out. 🙂

[@michiganman2577]

That's fascinating. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@dboorman]

Most modern versions also have "Five golden rings" which most likely is a mishearing of another bird the "goldring" which actually fits the bird theme of those verses.

[@marshaburdick4186]

One of my daughters once told me they had studied "ultra-violent light" in science class. She repeated it twice during the conversation, and then I screamed and tried to ward off the deathly blows of the sun. We both had a good laugh.

[@krikeles]

Since uv light can cause skin cancer Ulta violent might be a better name

[@joelsmith4394]

Seems to me that I saw that movie.

[@harikrishna69]

CF Alex in A Clockwork Orange, an his pursuit of "ultra violence"

[@gravelpit5680]

me glazzies! 🔥

[@katakana1]

Wait until she learns about infra-dead

[@richc.3100]

8:11 this is the cleverest ad in a KZbin video I’ve ever seen.

[@Abstrakt_YT]

I think MrBeast has him beat

[@ArbitraryC]

deep-seated vs deep-seeded was the first example that came to mind when I was watching

[@Kory_]

Gardener Snake vs Garter Snake has been one for me ever since I was a child. Had no idea what a garter was, and since the snakes were harmless and found near our garden, it made sense to call them gardener snakes.

[@Shrapnel82]

Even after learning what a garter was, I still prefer "garden snake". They have a lot more connection to gardens than garters.

[@bearcat1868]

Alternatively, guarder snake. Makes sense when you're a child and an adult's just introduced you to the concept of these snakes and their potential benefits to one's garden (eating pests).

[@Shrapnel82]

It sounds like every version of the name makes sense, except the "real" one@@bearcat1868

[@letsart6434]

Same.

[@mackdeen7021]

Not an eggcorn. Mispronouncing actual words is NOT and eggcorn.

[@BennoWitter]

In German, songs with lyrics that are often misheard are called "Agathe Bauer" songs. The story is that someone had called a radio station requesting the song about "Agathe Bauer". The song that the person actually wanted to hear was "The Power" by Snap, which has the lyrics "I've got the power" in it. Another example is "Anneliese Braun"; which is supposed to be "All the leaves are brown" from "California dreaming" by the Mamas and the Papas.

[@GldnClaw]

Reminds me of the Mexican Radio station one. The guy requests "Esos son Reebok o son Nike" (literally "are those Reebok or Nike). Turns out he was requesting. "This is the rhythm of the night" by the Eurythmics

[@ferkinskin]

Hau auf die Leberwurst- Hope of deliverance. :)

[@VetsrisAuguste]

I want Annalise Braun to be my drag name.

[@holgerchristiansen4003]

There are two books about those misheard lyrics. Though the books have pretty unfortunate titles... de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_wei%C3%9Fe_Neger_Wumbaba

[@gaedingar9791]

these two came also to my mind as soon as he started talking about that.

[@big_freedom65]

My favorite would be when Morty asks Rick, "wait, have you been saying 'for granite' this whole time". Fans of Rick and Morty will know...

[@Xueria]

One of my favourite eggcorns is "Shoe in" rather than "shoo in". Shoe in still works, easily meaning you've got your first step in already, or that you can't have a metaphorical door closed to you if you have an equally metaphorical shoe in the door to block that from happening. Definitely one I misused in my past, and easily done because the words sound the same, just like free reign/rein

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

Sounds Like Reign is a channel here Christian music I love the name

[@Changon]

Not really a foreign egg corn but I met someone from Colombia a couple of years ago. His English was pretty good but still learning. He told me that up until recently he thought our expression when leaving was “Happy Good day” instead of “have a good day” which, if you think about it makes sense because we have other sentiments that we express with “happy” e.g. Happy Birthday! Happy anniversary! Happy Mother’s Day! Etc. I thought it was pretty cute.

[@avalerie4467]

I like it ! Happy good day to you !

[@habibakamel]

I’m totally going to start using that phrase. I love it. Happy good day to you!

[@avalerie4467]

@@habibakamel happy good day to you

[@lon3don]

Let's adopt it

[@majaruzicic7371]

I need this to be an actual phrase in the English language. It sounds super sweet! Happy good day!

[@JimLambier]

The favourite one that I ever heard was when my wife and I were guests at a wedding reception and another guest was telling us about her friend who had been injured and had to go to the emergency room at the hospital. Her injuries were so bad that she had to be transferred to the "drama ward" instead of trauma ward. The story continued for several minutes with numerous references to the "drama ward". The first time, we assumed it was a slip of the tongue caused by the open bar. By the fifth or sixth time, we realized that she assumed it was the "drama ward" because it was very dramatic. Over thirty years later, my wife and I still jokingly refer to it that way.

[@sidarthur8706]

to be fair hospitals do have theatres

[@rubiks6]

That's a fantastic eggcorn!

[@FilosophicalPharmer]

The lady who helped my mom clean the house often had to stay home because her very close veins were hurting.

[@thesushifiend]

In the UK we don’t have “trauma wards” or “emergency rooms” so I assume this must be American.

[@JimLambier]

@@thesushifiend North American, but Canadian to be precise.

[@Ice_Karma]

The "feeble" position. I'm dying. 🤣🤣🤣

[@thomasgylfe2396]

I have an example of an eggcorn from swedish. In Sweden there is a phrase that says ”lägga rabarber på något” that can be translated into ”put rhubarb onto something”. The meaning of the phrase is to claim something entirely for one self. It is actually an eggcorn that orginated in the 19th century from the phrase ”lägga embargo på något” ie to put an embargo on something.

[@daveyinparis1]

I had a chuckle when I overheard two people talking about their past woes and they both agreed that "it was all water under the fridge". I've used it a few times since to get a bit of a laugh. Where would we be without occasionally using our malapropisms for their comic "affect"

[@StarkRG]

Yeah, you know, like when you drop an ice cube and can't be bothered picking it up so you just kick it under there where it melts into a puddle you neither notice nor care about.

[@shyft09]

😂 that's brilliant, definitely adding it to my vernacular

[@Sandman755]

Also an example of catachresis - misuse of grammar for comic effect. My favourite of those being Interplod from Only Fools and Horses. It will never be Interpol for me ever again.

[@oldsguy354]

I use "take it for granite" regularly for the humor value. Not to mention that I also regularly refer to a thing called "the interwebs" ;)

[@frankshailes3205]

@@oldsguy354 It's a deep-seeded problem.

[@Bargle5]

I remember reading in Reader's Digest many years ago about a woman who moved to the New York City/New Jersey area and began copying a phrase she heard locals saying about something expensive costing 'a nominal egg'. She said it for quite a while before it hit her one day. What they were saying was 'an arm and a leg' with the strong regional accent.

[@KristopherBel]

I grew up in that area and can confirm if I say "an arm and a leg" in my nana's accent (which is heavier than mine) it sounds just like "a nominal egg." What a great one!

[@davidfarmer5783]

lol. That was good!

[@jpe1]

Is it still an eggcorn if I use the wrong phrase deliberately? For example, I will refer to “old timer’s disease” deliberately when speaking with people who know that I know that the correct term is “Alzheimer’s disease” when I want to reinforce in-group bonding by using a shared witticism. (Yes, I realize that you may judge me a terrible person for making fun of other’s honest mistakes, and I won’t attempt to defend my behavior here.)

[@CiroMastino]

Ironically eggs nowadays do cost an arm and a leg

[@eric_d]

@@CiroMastino Oh, but you missed that one by a few weeks. The prices came back down already.

[@hobbywagon1882]

My grandfather told about when he was in class talking about geography. Perhaps 5-6 grade and he had been daydreaming, as the teacher was talking about the equator. He heard the teacher say "The equator is a menagerie lion running around the middle of the earth." I forget how long, but it was an image he held for quite a while, as I remember the story.

[@dallon507]

This is hilarious to me!

[@gustram5735]

In Portuguese the expression 'esculpida em Carrara' has turned into 'cuspida e escarrada'. Thus, instead of telling someone: "you look like your mother sculptured in Carrara (marble)", most people would say "you look like your mother spit and spat". A radical change in wording, while keeping the same meaning. We've got a couple other examples in Portuguese, but I find this one the most interesting. Your channel is great, Rob!

[@bruceschneider4928]

I once had an editor argue that "One fail swoop" was correct because she found it on the internet. She could not be persuaded otherwise. Readers let her know how wrong she was.

[@adelinetomasone1421]

An EDITOR? RELYING on user content on internet? Omg! It's ONE FELL SWOOP. PERIOD.

[@Urroner]

You need to explain to her the different between "fail" and "fell", which means "sinister" or "killing."

[@adamcrain7993]

😪

[@masonb9788]

AN EDITOR?? Man I picked the wrong career.

[@jonas000111]

English was our second language. My mom would always say, "Are you killing me?" when we said something she didn't believe. We never corrected her and just laughed.

[@Tinil0]

Hah, I use this as wordplay often, or another related version of "You have to be killing me!" instead of "You have to be kidding me!"

[@fancifuldevices]

Omg. My mom has a million- anal retainer being a favorite.

[@daze023]

2 darn cute

[@carollewis5919]

My nephew once said "are you losing my mind?"

[@waverider8549]

My Mom too

[@jpjp3873]

I always wondered why Sting sang “I’m a pool hall ace, every breath you take “. 😂

[@denis-andredesjardins]

For Professor Lieberman, some francophones here in Québec (possibly in France also), when they hear Enya's song, Orinoco flow, they hear; C'est Noël, c'est Noël, c'est Noël, when in fact she is singing; Sail away, sail away, sail away...

[@meerkatmalone5064]

A former coworker of my mother's once described a movie she had recently seen as having too much "sexual in-the-window" instead of "sexual innuendo". My mom, sisters, and I still say it incorrectly for laughs👍

[@twillbdone3273]

I love this. My mother did this type of thing so often. My sister and myself also have this trait of turning words inside out and backwards. To have my mom, sister and myself engaged in a conversation almost sounded like another language besides English. All three of us would not miss a beat and understand everything. Dad would have to leave the room. Over whelming to a word purist.

[@andraspongracz5996]

This should be called a haycorn. The wrong form doesn't make much sense.

[@robertpatter5509]

Sexual in-the-window? So you've been to Amsterdam as well I see. Hope you saw the Holy Stroopwafel while you were there.

[@robertpatter5509]

@@andraspongracz5996 In the Netherlands you can see women in windows. It's at the Red Light District. Now that's sexual in-the-window

[@andyman8630]

sexxual in-your-endo

[@lenyaeger9969]

My mother considered herself the paragon of decorum and as such always spoke euphemistically when referring to topics she considered socially sensative. In our house "butt" was a four-letter word, and "buttocks" was little better, so she often used "derriere" to refer to one's "nether regions." When I was seven or eight years old, my piano teacher held a recital, and one of the older students played a tune called "Londonderry Air." I couldn't imagine why someone would play a tune about an English person's nether regions.

[@thorstambaugh1520]

That was the melody used for the song "Danny boy"

[@jc-16.]

Its just the derry air.

[@djollyrodjeur]

sensItive

[@MorganReece]

😂😂😂

[@nancyarnold1713]

😂

[@duncankelman]

My favourite was from a colleague who said he’d had a “fraudulent slip”. That made me laugh! Mondegreen I guess.

[@mc07]

I've heard "the world's your hoister [oyster]". When my dad was a kid, he mistook a line in a song, "I am a little cattle tick [catholic]". I misheard "hazard a guess" for "have/has at a guess", like the phrase "have at it".

[@Edmonddantes123]

As a kid in Germany, I misheard the word for petrol station (“Tankstelle” = “fill-up place”) as “Stankstelle” (= “stink place”), which, not having a concept for filling up a tank but smelling petrol vapours, made a lot more sense to me

[@frankmerrill2366]

There's a chain of gas (petrol) stations in Idaho called Stinker.

[@mandowarrior123]

That's a funny one you'd get away with- if humour existed in Germany.

[@Shrapnel82]

And today I learned that "stank" isn't just a recent slang for smelling really bad, but from German.

[@nikeipod1]

On a very similar note, in India, a petrol station is most commonly called "Petrol bunk". It's weird because they don't call it that anywhere else. The closest term used elsewhere is "Petrol pump". It was probably an eggcorn, that later became folk etymology (its even in dictionaries now)

[@paulcollyer801]

Sometimes there are deliberate and clever malapropisms, particularly in marketing:- I cannot name the camping store, it may no longer exists, but their winter sale ad is legendary:- “Now is the winter of our discount tents”

[@nthgth]

I love that, but I'm pretty sure an intentional malapropism is really just a pun. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[@FitzyCify]

If the store no longer exists, would that make the slogan past tents?

[@paulcollyer801]

@@FitzyCify, oh you’re GOOOOD 😂😂

[@no_peace]

Yeah, a lot of them come from slogans, word play or jokes.

[@Tigerbrown44]

Reminds me of an old joke: A man is talking to his therapist. “Hey Doc, i keep having this recurring dream, I’m a wigwam I’m a tepee I’m a wigwam I’m a tepee I’m a wigwam I’m a tepee! Therapist say, “relax, you’re two tents.”

[@Flyway999]

In Finland we have a funny example of folk etymology. As a child I was scared of going to cathedrals as they are called tuomiokirkko (doom/judgement church) which comes from the swedish word domkyrka (from latin domus meaning the bishop’s home church) so a translation error turned the innocent swedish home-church to the omnious doom-church which scared me so much as a child…

[@lancegoins3423]

I knew a guy that was sick all the time, but it was psycho-systematic. He also dropped his jar of cherries once and smashed it to figurines but didn’t get mad. My hand’s off to him!

[@kathleenstoin671]

My mother and I were joking around when she forgot someone's name and said she must have old timer's disease. I replied, "Thats OK, Mom, I have mentalpause." We both got a chuckle out of that. But actually, I don't think I've ever used any of those eggcorns. I've always read a lot, and when you see those common phrases in print, it's not as likely that you'll use them incorrectly.

[@johnfitzgerald8879]

I've been using old timer's disease intentionally for decades. The first person I heard it from was me. Indeed, I have never heard it anywhere else until this video. It's just such an appropriately sounding play on Alzheimer's. It just makes sense. By other favorite has been "bass ackwards" for "ass backwards". That being not an eggcorn, it is still demonstratabley funny in abuse of language.

[@dahasolomon7314]

That's exactly what I was thinking. I've most often learnt of these phrases in print, so I don't think I've miss heard any. But I've seen old timers disease before and I thought it was a charming way of saying Alzheimers disease. I honestly hope it become a thing. 😂

[@johnfitzgerald8879]

@@dahasolomon7314 From the comments, it appears that it is not only a thing but so obviously humorous that it keeps being re-discovered.

[@eefaaf]

@@johnfitzgerald8879 I think 'bass ackwards' is categorised as a Spoonerism. Like when I use "shaking a tower" for 'taking a shower'. It even works in the past tense. I shook a tower.

[@settlerjusquauparadis7729]

When your brain works faster than language you can get bored and start messing up the way you say things on "porpoise". I read a lot too so much of my word learning comes from the printed page. It makes it so that I don't have egg corns but there are complicated or borrowed words from other languages that I always said wrong in my head until I heard it spoken out loud. "deus ex machina" would be an example of that. I assumed the "i" would be the French i sound. Nope.

[@bethterry4943]

Years ago I worked with some inexperienced lab technicians. My boss suggested temporarily sending them in pairs to another lab to gain on the job experience. I said "that's great! They can get some hands-on under their belt." 😳 There was a moment of silence then we each went on our way. I cringe whenever I think of it. Not an eggcorn, but thought I'd share 🥴

[@purplepotatolove]

I said to my boss, "I don't smell as good as other people," when I really meant that my sense of smell isn't as sharp as the average person's. Although I realized it and corrected myself, it brought a laugh.

[@TampaDave]

People used to say "If you think [you are going to do that in my house], you've got another think coming." Now people started saying "another thing coming". I liked the old way better.

[@amyhelton6364]

A child I babysat long ago, asked me to polish her finger tails and toe tails. “Nails were in wood, but tails are on the end of things”…The child was three years old when she explained this brilliant eggcorn.

[@redelfshotthefood8213]

As I read this comment, I puzzled over it. I had subconsciously converted tails to nails before the explanation. So the explanation was completely out of context. A nonsequitor.

[@Xubuntu47]

The logic of toddlers can really make you question your assumptions sometimes.

[@tonyaprim3047]

Reminds me of my son calling a sidewalk a sideblock since the squares of cement appeared to be blocks lining the side of a driveway or lawn.

[@mackdeen7021]

Cute but not an eggcorn. Thats just a child not pronouncing a word.

[@dannmartin7750]

Sorry if this one has already been mentioned, but my favorite eggcorn was unknowingly exposed by the comedian Sean Jordan when he stated on a podcast that one should "throw that cosh right into the wind". Pretty funny reaction when his cohosts went from complete confusion to realizing that he had spent his entire life thinking that risk takers were "throwing cosh into the wind".

[@dontaylor7315]

That's delicious! Thanks for that story.

[@danielmartin2000]

hello fellow namenheimer

[@adamcrain7993]

They do sort of mean the same thing.

[@trekkiejunk]

I would have to hear him say it, but are you sure this wasn't an intentional mis-speak? Like, when the kids say "rizz" as short for charisma? Adding "that" can make you sound folksy. "Throw that cosh to the wind, my dawg."

[@lux279]

What an infuriating but also very informative video. I know I’m a nerd with an annoying grammar obsession, but malapropisms have always driven me insane. Reminds me of high school: everyone trying to sound smarter or cooler than they are but not even understanding the words they’re using.

[@loismiller7742]

Ok, so far I say: "A" - corn" "Scantily clad" "Buck naked" "Whet your appetite" Oh my goodness - never knew what "damp squib meant." Cracked me up. "Jerusalem artichoke?" That always baffled me too. Loved this.

[@scottanos9981]

"Wet your appetite" and "Jerry Rigged" for me lol. However, "Wet your whistle" is correct!

[@leosmith848]

I grew up with fireworks called squibs, but never hear of squid till later

[@Charlene8706]

When I was a waitress, I worked with a guy that was so confused because his customer asked for “camel milk tea”. I still crack up about it. She was asking for camomile tea! This brought up someone else thinking spiders where called “deadly long legs” instead of “daddy long legs.”

[@ToyInsanity]

bone apple tea

[@desperadox7565]

😂

[@kelamii5977]

I used to call those spiders "dandy long legs."

[@jennywoody1655]

I waitresses at a Greek restaurant and owner friends would ask for fresh milk when asked if they wanted cream with their coffee

[@mischmaZOOO]

@@jennywoody1655I don't get it.

[@cjkaon]

My mom moved from France, she was familiar with the expression, "Penny for your thoughts," so when she heard, "I don't give a damn", she mistook it as, "I don't give a dime." It took her years to realize the mistake, but I must admit I like the "dime" version more.

[@cydkriletich6538]

I hope you gave her your two cents worth when explaining it to her! 😊

[@jsax01001010]

I could see someone intentionally saying "I don't give a dime" to avoid saying a "swear word".

[@ArchieOnEarth]

@@cydkriletich6538Because people put their two cents in, but it’s only a penny for your thoughts, I’ve always wondered who is making that one cent of profit.

[@trinkabuszczuk6138]

That works! 😊

Was this prefaced with "Frankly, my dear"? ;-)

[@EllenYsasi]

This video was immensely painful, to listen to, and profoundly wonderful. You have my genuine appreciation!

[@TheTrueDoomSlayer]

13:50 a swuib nowadays is also colloquially used to describe when a cartridge from a firearm doesn't go off properly and the projectile gets stuck in the barrel

[@ballantinesavionics9339]

My personal German eggcorn: Until the age of 14 I believed that the word "intim" (engl. intimate) is actually written "in Team". That absolutely made sense for me: intimacy is some kind of teamwork, isn't it? 🤔

[@13Luk6iul]

Love it!

[@baldeagle5297]

I didn't find any egg corns that I use, but I think I'll start using one. I love the "French Benefits," It sounds risque and exotic.

[@LolaInTheDesert]

The first time I heard “old timers disease” was when my now adult daughter was 5 or 6. She was in a summer YMCA program. Just over the fence around the building lived an elderly lady who occasionally yelled at the kids. The staff told the kids the lady didn’t know what she was doing because she had Alzheimer’s disease and explained that this happens to some people when they grow old. One day when I was dropping my daughter off at the Y she told me we shouldn’t get mad about the mean lady next door because she has old timers disease. I thought that was a very clever way to understand what they told her about the lady.

[@guserson]

I'm only seeing this video now, but there is a popular eggcorn in Brazilian Portuguese. We say that something is "cuspido e escarrado" (spat and sputtered) when it is notably similar to something else. The correct, or original, expression is "esculpido em Carrara" (sculpted in Carrara - a type of marmor).

[@viljamtheninja]

As a non-native English speaker, I was proud to notice that I have been using all of these correctly. But being a non-native speaker might have actually helped, because a lot of the English expressions I've learned have come through reading literature rather than growing up hearing them in everyday conversation.

[@somesweetguy]

Wait u cin lern stuf from readin?

[@matthewbartsh9167]

It's nothing to do with not being a native speaker, and all to do with reading. There's no confusion when reading.

[@samplerInfo]

Also a non-native speaker. I'm your typical grammar nazi, besserwisser, and no-fun-at-parties guy, according to the interwebs. So I really try my best not to point things out nowadays. And I believe I'm actually quite funny IRL, despite this flaw. But I think that my spelling OCD actually gets worse when I spot native English speakers making these "mistakes". Like, I try so hard to master this language, yet I can't trust the knowledge of the people speaking it, or something. But as you and @matthewbartsh9167 suggest, I think it all has to do with reading, i.e. literacy.

[@samplerInfo]

Meaning, I guess, I don't agree with Geoff Pullum (in the video). I _do_ think this has to do with illiteracy. That is, not reading enough books or novels or whatnot to sufficiently support your use of the language. Although at the same time, I definitely agree it has nothing to do with stupidity per se, and I can see the imaginative aspects of coming up with... personal interpretations.

[@charlottewilliams7866]

Yes! Read broadly and frequently 😊

[@n.jhornsberg7522]

In Danish we have the expression "Den tid, den sorg" which translates to "That time. that grief" basically meaning "We'll worry about that later, when it's relevant". The eggcorn of that is "Den tid den sover" translating to "That time is sleeping". It is very common.

[@RobWords]

Excellent

[@beeftips1628]

⁠@@RobWords eggcellent*

[@sbhleffeleffe1700]

"Den tid den sover"... Det synes jeg aldrig jeg har hørt... Meget interessant

[@robprator5890]

When I was a kid and watched a sitcom, there was a voiceover at the beginning of the show that would say “this episode was filmed before a live studio audience” It was baffled me because I would hear laughter, but it was filmed before the audience arrived, so how the hell did they do that?

[@kirareedagain7475]

Could not appreciate this more. I try to correct people all the time. Now I'll just send them this video link. Thanks a bunch!

[@TB-rh2vo]

“Add in salt to injury” was one of my egg-corn when I moved to America. Probably because of “rubbing salt in the wound”.

[@abab1014]

I know it as 'add insult to injury'........

[@jennag3226]

Its adding insult to injury😂

[@lilmoney7825]

These replies have added insult to injury. 😂😂

[@jasonk333]

@@lilmoney7825i think these replies added in salt to the injury

[@adamcrain7993]

That actually makes a lot of sense.

[@brendal6951]

I have a friend who insists that to withhold strategic information is to not "tip your hat". I've explained that the phrase is "Don't tip your hand" - as in "don't let anyone see your cards" in Poker - but she is positive that tipping your hat means to give away a secret. Of course, if you're hiding a large bald spot beneath your hat, she's absolutely correct.

[@muurrarium9460]

LOL< since I only heard it used a few times (and yes too many people seem to be saying "tipping hats"), I started wondering if it was about saluting the wrong people? (You know: to pay respect to a person of higher rank by touching the headgear/ because of course that comes form the way older tradition of taking off your hat or cap entirely.)

[@user-jg6bd7se8u]

I've heard both. Tip my hat I've heard as "I tip my hat to you". Tipping ones hat is a show of acknowledgement. In my rural community it is as common as a wave or even a nod as we pass one another on the road. The tip your hand referring to not share information as you used it. I tip my hat to you for sharing!

[@bsteven885]

The phrase I usually hear is, "Don't show your hand."

[@infinitestare]

@@bsteven885 don't show your hat

[@pamwatson7327]

Yes!!!! …holding a BA degree in Communication theory…I have felt for a long time that I was justified in defending my supposed mispronunciation of “Crestfallen” into “chest”fallen. I felt I was using it more correctly. Eggcorn was the name for it and I just learned that term today. Your chest figuratively falls down when you are sorrowful or dismayed. You exhale usually. But I can see that if your family honor has been besmirched -then your families CREST in heraldry has indeed fallen! So here it matters why you are downward feeling. If honor is at risk then CRESTfallen it is. But my CHESTfallen works for other scenarios. Eggcorn

[@voidoflife7058]

I used to think “crutches” were “crunches” as a kid. Many more egg corns like that in my history I’m sure but that one stands out to me.

[@mackdeen7021]

Again…mispronouncing an actual word is NOT an “eggcorn”…come on people. I think this is becoming a “pet pee’d” for me!!! 😮😂😅

[@voidoflife7058]

@@mackdeen7021 how in the world is this different to other egg corn examples lol By your logic “butt naked” is simply a mispronunciation of “buck naked”, there’s literally no difference

[@user-uu5ki2nz7d]

One I found myself using for years is "kitten kaboodle", which seemed delightful but was, in reality, "kit and kaboodle", a type of sewing kit. I'm let down that kittens are not somehow at the center of it.

[@tmb1065]

As a kid I thought that is what you used to take your cat to the vet.

[@simonblackwell3576]

Woah I didn’t know this one, that’s cool to know

[@soymuymuy]

Til

[@John_Weiss]

There is a German phrase with the same meaning: „mit Kind und Kobold“ … which looks a great deal like "kit and kaboodle." The German phrase translated literally to "with kid and helper-house-spirit." A „Kobold“ was something like the Scandinavian nisse: helpful hidden-folk that would do little tasks if you were good to them and Followed the Rule [of the supernatural], but would play pranks on you if you were unkind to them. So to leave „mit Kind und Kobold“ meant that you were not only taking everything _and_ the kitchen sink, you were clearing out with the non-physical members of the house too!

[@thornback5641]

Well if you need a phrase for mad I have a cat one for you "shitting kittens"(Man Tom is going to be shitting kittens when he finds out.) I dont think it came from anywhere else. But its also funny 😂😂😂😂. And while its not got cat in the phrase it- "Bitter shitbox"(Karen is such a bitter shitbox" kinda implies a litterbox in my mind. Ive been using both for years.

[@csredmond518]

Just a day after watching this wonderful video, my wife received a little nugget in a work document. "... a last stitch effort." We think it fits! Thanks for the videos!

[@muststashyarn]

Works beautifully if you are a knitter/crocheter/sewist!

[@heatherchurch4287]

The one I always see/hear that drives me crazy is "Through the ringer" instead of "Through the wringer" . I really enjoyed this video, thank you. 🙂

[@midlevelgamer]

I didn't know all of these phrases but of the ones I've heard, I do use the real ones. I waited til the very end to make sure you didn't pull anymore out at the last second lol. Also "spreading like wildflowers" is a neat one. Sound like the meaning would be a combination of the correct "wildfire" version and "growing like a weed". Something quick and persistent