The Uncanny Among Insects . . .
. . . because the mantis will turn and look at you. We notice this and feel weird, observed, says Dr. Gavin Svenson:
[P]eople are intrigued by mantises because they react differently from other insects. "They will turn and look at you," he said. Museum visitors who encounter the occasional praying mantis display are often taken aback. "They'll say, 'Whoa, that thing made eye contact.'"Good thing we're a lot bigger! But anyway, what's their official name, "Preying Mantis" and "Praying Mantis"?
Labels: Holiness
posted by Horace Jeffery Hodges @ 12:41 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
This is what god created Google for:
http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/2008/mantis.htm
"Often mistakenly spelled preying mantis (an eggcorn, since they are notoriously predatory), they are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance."
Thanks, TBH, you're a godsend, and here's a live link to what you found: Mantis.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Plus you get the word "eggcorn" that I never encountered before!
Here are some examples of eggcorns:
• ex-patriot instead of expatriate
• mating name instead of maiden name
• on the spurt of the moment instead of on the spur of the moment
• preying mantis instead of praying mantis
• for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes
Post a Comment
<< Home