Meaning
What does Mind Bottling mean?
Mind bottling is a falsely interpreted version of the expression “mind-boggling.”
The original term’s meaning is something that is mentally or emotionally exciting or overwhelming, something that “boggles your mind”.
Mind-bottling essentially means the same, but the concept of etymology behind it can vary depending on who uses it.
This means that the term is an “eggcorn”: a word or phrase that is mistakenly used for another word or phrase because it sounds similar and seems logical or plausible.
Since it is not appropriate, or correct in English, it is advised to avoid using the term under any circumstances.
Origin
What's the origin of Mind Bottling?
As mentioned above, the term “mind-boggling” is a colloquial expression, consisting of the words “mind” and “boggle”.
Those who are not familiar with the expression often come up with their own explanation of its meaning.
It is also easy to confuse “boggling” with “bottling”. So it is a common occurrence that people conclude that mind bottling means something that is so exciting, it “bottles your mind”.
Spread & Usage
How did Mind Bottling spread?
The expression was popularized by the 2007 comedy movie Blades of Glory.
The movie features Will Ferrell portraying the protagonists, who utters mind bottling during a scene.
He explains it as: “You know, what happens when your thoughts get all trapped up, like in a bottle.”
External resources
- Scribendi.com – Five Common Pronunciation Mistakes That You Need to Stop Making
- Urbandictionary.com – mind bottling
- Waywordradio.org – Mind-Boggling vs. Mind-Bottling
- Slangdefine.org – What is Mind Bottling?