Folk Etymology Fun

**Sokar Rostau** · 01-02-2008, 20:40

I was just playing Medieval 2 as Venice and during one of the Generals' speeches he called the enemy "malefactors" (also goat bothering sheep fondlers, but I digress), but I thought he said "mother ****ers" because of his accent. So I was thinking that maybe there was a connection between the words given their phoenetic similarities. Unsure if I had spelled malefactor correctly, I just looked it up on dictionary.com and found some interesting things in the etymology sections of the definitions given here.

It may not be linguistically "correct", but folk etymology has a spooky habit of being right. Anyone know of any other good ones?

**tuxor** · 01-02-2008, 23:06

Wait...are you saying they are related? Because I'm quite sure they're not.
male = bad
facere = to do

So basically, anything ending in factor or fy or a lot of other things come from facere, or one of it's principle parts. So to crapify something, is to make it crappy. That's not a real word, but hey.

However the expanded form of mofo, just means like...someone who has sex with your mother, or at least it implies it's your mother. No one would like that, so it's bad. I guess I just don't understand the question.

**AeroJonesy** · 01-02-2008, 23:29

Sokar, have you looked through the eggcorn database? I think you might enjoy it:
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/

**BobCox** · 02-02-2008, 03:26

I always like the ones for cuss words best. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge etc.

**Dondrei** · 02-02-2008, 04:25

Yeah, and Fornicate Under Command of the King.

Backronyms should be a whole separate category.

Originally Posted by AeroJonesy

Sokar, have you looked through the eggcorn database? I think you might enjoy it:
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/

That's hilarious.

**Sokar Rostau** · 02-02-2008, 08:56

It is the "to do" and "perform" element of facere that got my interest. When you think about the way the word **** is often used, it is a perfect fit. The male also fits with the phrase. The whole meaning is also correct. A malefactor is someone that does something despicable and so is a mother ****er.

That eggcorn site is cool.

**Bortaz** · 02-02-2008, 09:40

I didn't see it on eggcorns, but "could of" or "should of" should have been there, so that all the world will know not to ever say that again.

**Dondrei** · 02-02-2008, 11:20

Hate hate hate could of. But that's a whole nother issue.

**WildBerry** · 02-02-2008, 16:49

Originally Posted by Sokar Rostau

It is the "to do" and "perform" element of facere that got my interest. When you think about the way the word **** is often used, it is a perfect fit. The male also fits with the phrase. The whole meaning is also correct. A malefactor is someone that does something despicable and so is a mother ****er.

I think it's more of a "lousy ****" than "mother****er", but that's just me.