eggcorn.pie-line
ray o'hara
ball fumbled into the endzone and hitting the pylon that marks the
goal-line.
When he did that, the ball came loose (he was still in bounds) and hit the
pie-line (that orange stick), and the ball went out of bounds.
Ben Zimmer
Now in the database, along with its cousin the "pile-on"...
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/595/pie-line/
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/596/pile-on/
Jess Askin
I assume you already have "the pee-ons".
ray o'hara
"Jess Askin" <jessaskinDON...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dgq8eh$n6r$1...@news.netins.net...
Pee-ons is what the word peon really means.
Pat Durkin
"ray o'hara" <r...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:QOCdnaPCI-L...@comcast.com...
Well, I can remember our "trickle-down economy". Can't you? And it works.
The rich get richer and the peons get. . .
Jess Askin
No, but it turns out to be a rather interesting word, according to the
Online Etymology Dictionary:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=peon
peon
1826, from Mex.Sp. peon "agricultural laborer" (esp. a debtor held in
servitude by his creditor), from Sp., "day laborer," also "pedestrian,"
originally "foot soldier," from M.L. pedonem "foot soldier" (see pawn (2)).
The word entered British Eng. earlier (1609) in the sense "native constable,
soldier, or messenger in India," via Port. peao "pedestrian, foot soldier,
day laborer."
(Other online dictionaries substantially corroborate this etymology.)
Are there other cases where the same word has come into American English and
British English separately, from two different languages?
ray o'hara
It was a joke son,a joke. 8^)
Adrian Bailey
Dunno. I regard it as an Americanism.
Google: 2,190,000
Google UK sites: 65,000
Adrian (UK)
Jess Askin
Apparently in BrE it's pronounced /pyoon/, does that ring any additional
bells? If somebody out there has an OED, that should settle it.