🥚 An early Easter eggcorn 🐣

"I don't want to get sogging wet!"

A cute little eggcorn from my sweet boy while watering the allotment. I do love a little misheard lyric, phrase or word here and there, and it is especially delightful from the mouth of a little one.

An eggcorn is something that has been misheard and then repeated incorrectly, but actually retains some of the original meaning, by brilliant chance. My boy didn't want to get soggy or soaking so he morphed them into "sogging" in his head, which I think is all the more delicious to say. Love it! 💦

Where did this all begin?

I'm sure that eggcorns have been happening since the dawn of language itself, but the first I was aware of the term was from listening to the great double-act, Adam and Joe. They love discussing a good eggcorn and invite listeners to share their own on their Christmas Day podcast.

The term "eggcorn" itself was apparently coined in the early 2000s. It's quite incredible that there wasn't a term for these little linguistic treats until then. Linguist Geoff Pullum apparently came up with the term after someone mistakenly called an acorn and "eggcorn" and there it was, the term for all mis-hearings since.

Five favourite eggcorns of mine:

• nip it in the butt (nip it in the bud)

• damp squid (damp squib)

• pass mustard (pass muster)

• old wise tale (old wives' tale)

• wet your appetite (whet your appetite)

If you have any more wonderful eggcorns, share them please! Goodness knows the world needs a little bit more silly joy these days!