![]() ![]() A deep-seeded fear or prejudice, for example, isn’t easy to get rid of. The Eggcorn: Deep-Seeded // The Actual Term: Deep-SeatedĬalling something “deep-seeded” implies that its seeds were planted far into the ground so by the time it breaks the surface, it’s likely established a vast network of strong roots that aren’t easy to yank out. In fact, if you’re diagnosed with it before you turn 65, it’s considered younger-onset or early-onset Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s surname is often misheard as old-timers’-an apt eggcorn, as most people diagnosed with the disease are older than 65. ![]() Alois Alzheimer, the German psychiatrist and neuropathologist credited with identifying the affliction in 1906. The Eggcorn: Old-Timers’ Disease // The Actual Term: Alzheimer’s DiseaseĪlzheimer’s disease is named for Dr. Last-stitch effort, though technically incorrect, evokes a similar sense of 11th-hour determination and futility: If there’s only a single stitch holding your pant legs together, it’s probably working quite hard to keep them from separating. It’s a reference to the military tradition of defending your territory to the death, even when invaders have reached your very last trenches the phrase die in the last ditch has been around since the early 18th century. mrPliskin/iStock via Getty ImagesĪ last-ditch effort or attempt is one final, no-holds-barred, possibly desperate push to accomplish (or prevent) something. The last stitches making a last-ditch effort. ![]() The Eggcorn: Last-Stitch Effort // The Actual Term: Last-Ditch Effort After all, clowns are known for being jolly, even if their antics have a tendency to terrify us. But the shortened version of the phrase makes little sense without that context, and plenty of people have unwittingly (or wittingly) replaced clam with clown. At low tide, the mollusks are much more likely to get plucked from the sand by clam harvesters. The phrase happy as a clam is generally believed to have begun as happy as a clam at high tide. The Eggcorn: Happy as a Clown // The Actual Term: Happy as a Clam And because revenge usually involves force and effort-the same type of painful process that you might associate with extracting a tooth-it’s no surprise that some people think the phrase is extract revenge. Extract, meaning to take out with force or effort, is much more common. You don’t often hear exact used as a verb at all these days. By the 19th century, people had started using it to mean “inflict”-as in exact revenge. The Eggcorn: Extract Revenge // The Actual Term: Exact Revengeīack in the 16th century, exact was used as a verb that meant to forcefully require or demand something (payment, labor, etc.). The first known written mention of cold slaw is from 1794. But it’s not inaccurate (and considering the existence of hot slaw recipes, it may occasionally help to clarify). The term coleslaw derives from the Dutch koolsla, a truncated version of kool-salade-in English, “cabbage salad.” Since coleslaw, like most salads, is traditionally served cold, the eggcorn cold slaw is a little redundant. BRETT STEVENS/Image Source/Getty Images ![]()
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