Like a Bowl in a China Shop

I’ll also mention that “mute point” is an “eggcorn” — a new category of writing mistake that linguists have identified and my fellow college teachers might find useful in responding to student writing. I’m certainly glad to have a new tool that helps me climb down from the high horse I have occasionally mounted in 10-plus years of teaching creative writing, essay writing, business writing, and you-fill-in-the-blank-here writing. It’s nice to have a way of explaining mistakes that doesn’t make students feel stupid.

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All eggcorns makes sense on some level. For example, the eggcorn “girdle one’s loins” is far more understandable than the archaic “gird one’s loins.” “Free reign” — an extremely common misspelling — expresses a similar laxness to “free rein,” and there’s a kind of exclamatory kismet between “whoa is me!” and “woe is me!” —Mark Peters —Like a Bowl in a China Shop (Chronicle)

I just recently used “free reign” in a blog entry. Whoa is me!