Talk

Flip

Pedants' corner

Free rein - horses, not monarchs

9 replies

badtime · 01/03/2014 23:55

I keep seeing 'free reign' all over the place. I'm sure I see it more than the correct 'free rein'. 'Free rein' has started to look wrong!

I know that it is about holding one's horses reins loosely, to allow free movement. However, I can see why people get it wrong - whoever is reigning can do whatever they like, I suppose.

Is there any point trying to fight this one?

OP posts:

Report

meditrina · 06/03/2014 07:18

Well, it would be bad to point it out on thread, unless the error made a brilliant (and not unkind) pun.

I suppose I hope that when it's "reign" it's a typo, or momentary confusion, rather than mauling of the idiom.

Report

badtime · 07/03/2014 12:03

The only thing I will generally point out on a thread is 'draw' for 'drawer', and that is just because I think many, many people genuinely don't know that 'a chest of draws' is incorrect and it makes me cry .

The rein/reign thing I really only correct for my fellow pedants whose pedantry has slipped for a moment.

I don't think 'reign' in this context is a typo; I think it is a true eggcorn, with a folk etymology that sort of makes sense.

OP posts:

Report

WinterHasRuinedMyFace · 07/03/2014 12:15

I've been meaning to look this one up! I thought it should be rein but I wasn't sure, since I could justify both in my head. Horses it is, thanks for clarifying.

Report

HoratiaDrelincourt · 07/03/2014 13:35

Ahem.

Horses' reins.

As you were.

Yes, rein/reign/rain (see also "rein in spending") is a particularly annoying homophone error because the words have such different meanings. Steer/rule/snow would never get mixed up.