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eggcorn

/ˈɛgˌkɔrn/
IPA guide

Other forms: eggcorns

An eggcorn is a word or phrase that isn't quite correct, although it sounds just about right. When someone asks for "coldslaw" at a restaurant, they're using an eggcorn — what they meant to order was "coleslaw."

If you've wondered why your grandpa always grouses about it being a "doggy dog world," you've experienced an eggcorn first hand. The actual phrase, "it's a dog-eat-dog world," is frequently misunderstood in this way. Other common eggcorns are "old-timer's disease" instead of "Alzheimer's" and "pass mustard" in lieu of "pass muster." Eggcorn was coined in 2003 by a linguistics professor, named after the made-up word some people use when they intend to say acorn.

Definitions of eggcorn
  1. noun
    a misheard or misinterpreted word or phrase that sounds similar to the original
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