Eggcorns: 1 Explanation, 50+ Examples

Mishearing someone once can change how you say a certain phrase for years. That is, if you’re not already familiar with the phrase.

It happens to everyone. Yet you’ll be surprised just how many phrases are actually misrepresentations of their original catchphrase. So many common phrases today are actually miswritten phrases of yore, growing within our English lexicon like an eggcorn—or is it acorn?

To help you better understand the concept, this blog post aims to explain what are egghorns as well as provide over fifty examples of egghorns.

What are Eggcorns?

Eggcorns are words or phrases that sounds like other words or phrases with its own unique meaning and is therefore mistakenly applied into conversation or written communication.

Confusing? Let’s take the word eggcorn as our first example. Eggcorn is an eggcorn of acorn. If someone introduced the word acorn to you for the first time and you were unfamiliar with the oak nut (or if the speaker didn’t enunciate clearly), then you may instead hear egghorn. Believing acorn to be eggcorn, you would accidentally apply acorn as eggcorn in future conversation and communication.

50+ Examples of Egghorns

Still confused on the meaning of egghorn? Below I have listed over fifty examples of original phrases (saying) with their misrepresented turn of phrase (egghorn). 

May this list help you adjust how you speak and write in the future!

Saying: a damp squib

Egghorn: a damp squid

Saying: curb your appetite

Egghorn: curve your appetite

Saying: expatriate

Egghorn: ex-patriot

Saying: for all intents and purposes

Egghorn: for all intensive purposes

Saying: on the spur of the moment

Egghorn: on the spurt of the moment

Saying: on tenterhooks

Egghorn: on tenderhooks

Saying: in fetal position

Egghorn: in feeble position

Saying: card sharp

Egghorn: card shark

Saying: you’ve got another think coming

Egghorn: you’ve got another thing coming

Saying: jaw-dropping

Egghorn: jar-dropping

Saying: Alzheimer’s disease

Egghorn: old-timer’s disease

Saying: lactose intolerant

Egghorn: lack toast and tolerant

Saying: dog-eat-dog world

Egghorn: doggy-dog world

Saying: layman’s terms

Egghorn: lame man’s terms

Saying: day-to-day

Egghorn: day-today

Saying: all of a sudden

Egghorn: all over sudden

Saying: object lesson

Egghorn: abject lesson

Saying: all in all

Egghorn: all and all

Saying: beck and call

Egghorn: beckon call

Saying: biding my time

Egghorn: biting my time

Saying: champing at the bit

Egghorn: chomping at the bit

Saying: day and age

Egghorn: day in age

Saying: deep-seated

Egghorn: deep-seeded

Saying: jury-rigged

Egghorn: jerry-rigged

Saying: pass muster

Egghorn: pass mustard

Saying: one and the same

Egghorn: one in the same

Saying: take it for granted

Egghorn: take it for granite

Saying: toeing the line

Egghorn: towing the line

Saying: raze to the ground

Egghorn: raise to the ground

Saying: far be it from me

Egghorn: far be it for me

Saying: hair’s breadth

Egghorn: hare’s breath

Saying: must’ve

Egghorn: must of

Saying: neck and neck

Egghorn: neck in neck

Saying: row to hoe

Egghorn: road to hoe

Saying: bona fide

Egghorn: bonified

Saying: pique your interest

Egghorn: peak your interest

Saying: moot point

Egghorn: mute point

Saying: whet your appetite

Egghorn: wet your appetite

Saying: wind chill factor

Egghorn: windshield factor

Saying: coming down the pike

Egghorn: coming down the pipe

Saying: anecdotal evidence

Egghorn: antidotal evidence

Saying: vast majority

Egghorn: fast majority

Saying: fly in the ointment

Egghorn: flaw in the ointment

Saying: home in

Egghorn: hone in

Saying: eternally grateful

Egghorn: internally grateful

Saying: out-of-body experience

Egghorn: outer body experience

Saying: throes of passion

Egghorn: throws of passion

Saying: put the cart before the horse

Egghorn: put the cat before the horse

Saying: foregone conclusion

Egghorn: far-gone conclusion

Saying: zero-sum game

Egghorn: zero-sum gain

Saying: new lease on life

Egghorn: new leash on life

Did I miss one? What eggcorns have you come across in conversation or in communication? Share in the comments section below.