Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith.org Forums General Topics Q&A about words Under weigh/way
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
OP Quote:OK, I'll bite: what's wrong with the phrase wreck and ruin?
I always thought "wreck and ruin" was a malapropism.
From the Oxford American Dictionary (2005):Quote:PHRASES
go to rack (or wrack) and ruin gradually deteriorate in condition because of neglect: fall into disrepair. [ORIGIN: rack from Old English wræc [vengeance] ; related to wreak.]Quote:USAGE The relationship between the forms rack and wrack is complicated. The most common noun sense of rack, ‘a framework for holding and storing things,’ is always spelled rack, never wrack. The figurative senses of the verb, deriving from the type of torture in which someone is stretched on a rack, can, however, be spelled either rack or wrack: thus,: racked with guilt or | wracked with guilt; | rack your brains or | wrack your brains. In addition, the phrase | rack and ruin can also be spelled | wrack and ruin .
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Under weigh/way Hydra 12/26/07 06:15 AM Re: Under weigh/way Faldage 12/26/07 11:01 AM Re: Under weigh/way Maven 12/26/07 03:08 PM Re: Under weigh/way BranShea 12/26/07 03:17 PM Re: Under weigh/way zmjezhd 12/26/07 03:26 PM Re: Under weigh/way of troy 12/26/07 03:43 PM Re: Under weigh/way zmjezhd 12/26/07 03:18 PM Re: Under weigh/way tsuwm 12/26/07 04:20 PM Re: Under weigh/way zmjezhd 12/26/07 04:31 PM Re: Under weigh/way BranShea 12/26/07 04:43 PM Re: Under weigh/way Hydra 12/26/07 06:25 PM Re: Under weigh/way tsuwm 12/26/07 06:42 PM Re: la cité gastée zmjezhd 12/26/07 06:55 PM Re: la cité gastée Faldage 12/27/07 12:45 AM Re: la cité gastée Hydra 12/27/07 02:50 AM Re: la cité gastée Jackie 01/03/08 03:18 PM
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,913Posts229,345Members9,182 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 1 members (wofahulicodoc), 889 guests, and 1 robot. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 20ddrinnan 1
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613wofahulicodoc 10,547tsuwm 10,542LukeJavan8 9,918Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith.org