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
Saying: deep-seated
Egghorn: deep-seeded
Got me… I am sure I say that wrong every time!
I’m guilty of saying “chomping at the bit.” Keeping these eggcorns straight is easier said than done!