In the spirit of self-education, I have taken to reading Language Log, which manages to make me smarter and make me feel dumber every time I read it. I have, however, learned some neologisms that I'll probably never have another chance to use, and, dammnit, I want to use them. So, here goes.
Snowclone
A type of cliché which uses an old idiom formulaically in a new context. (definition from Wiktionary.)
What's a snowclone? If Eskimos have N words for snow, X surely have Y words for Z. In space, no one can hear you X. X is the new Y. (here).
Eggcorn
(linguistics) An idiosyncratic but semantically motivated substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound identical, or nearly so, at least in the dialect the speaker uses. (definition from Wiktionary.)
Examples? deep-seeded instead of deep-seated, deformation of character instead of defamation of character, for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes, oldtimer's disease instead of Alzheimer's disease. For more, try the Eggcorn Database, which gives over 600 examples.
Crash blossoms
An infelicitously worded headline that leads the reader down the garden path. (Definition from Language Log.)
Examples? This was the headline that started it all:Violinist linked to JAL crash blossoms
(If this seems a bit opaque, and it should, the story is about a young violinist whose career has prospered since the death of her father in a Japan Airlines crash in 1985.)
Go here for the most recent one over at Language Log. It's worth the trip.
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