Well, I hadn’t either until a few days ago! I love learning new things.
Before I show you examples (you’ll immediately recognize the phenomenon as soon as you read them), here’s the definition of an eggcorn according to the dictionary on my computer:
Eggcorn: a word or phrase that results from a mishearing or misinterpretation of another, an element of the original being substituted for one that sounds very similar or identical.
And from Wikipedia:
In linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker’s dialect. The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original, but plausible in the same context.
So basically, an eggcorn is an incorrect expressing of a common word or phrase based on a misunderstanding of all or part of it. (It’s not a pun, as a pun is an intentional misuse of a word or phrase in order to be clever/humorous.) In addition, an eggcorn is not simply a mispronunciation of the word or phrase, but one that is actually plausible/makes sense in the context in which it’s used. (And in some cases, the incorrect version starts to compete in popularity with the correct version!)
Here are some common eggcorns I grabbed from this list. See if you find one or two that you’ve slipped and used before. And feel free to share any other eggcorns you know about!
The incorrect phrase is first, followed by the correct phrase.
For all intensive purposes (For all intents and purposes)
A mute point (A moot point)
A posable thumb (Opposable thumb)
Old Timer’s Disease (Alzheimer’s Disease)
Anchors Away (Anchors Aweigh)
Butt naked (Buck naked)
Curve your appetite (Curb your appetite)
On tenderhooks (On tenterhooks)
Pour over (Pore over)
Run roughshot (Run roughshod)
Slight of hand (Sleight of hand)
Slow gin (Sloe gin)
Tow the line (Toe the line)
Wet one’s appetite (Whet one’s appetite)
Wheel barrel (Wheel barrow)
Can you think of any more eggcorns you hear or use?
(P.S. “Eggcorn” = Acorn!)