Thursday, August 08, 2013

For the "Chivalry" Page of your Underbelly Scrapbook

I know it is a total cheap shot to make fun of people's efforts with a language not their own but here is an item that deserves more honor than derision: a Swedish lady of my acquaintance referred to the "thug of war." Obviously she was thinking of the game you play with a dozen or so half-drunk partiers at opposite ends of a rope, but I want to take her locution more seriously.  "Thug of War."  Isn't that exactly the kind of item we ought to include int he annals of world Chivalry, alongside the Order of the Garter (say) or the Order of Polonia Restituta?  We could even strike off a little ribbon. The investiture ceremony could be carried out at The Hague.

[The same speaker mentioned "a chapel desecrated to the Virgin Mary."  Now that one takes more thought.]

2 comments:

The New York Crank said...

Wonderful malapropisms in English are not limited to those who learn English as a second language.

My favorite was told by David Ogilvy in his book Confessions of an Advertising Man."

"Mr. Ogilvy," said the client after watching an advertising presentation, "you have the mucus of an idea there."

Crankily yours,
The New York Crank

marcel said...

Unless that was meant to be a snotty comment, I cannot figure out what the intent, the propism or bonapropism, was or would have been.