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My 12 year old deserves credit for this question.
He asked "Why do we say 'by accident' but not 'by purpose' "
I was stumped - this is an embarrassing situation! Searching left me cold. The nearest result I could find was Is it correct to say "on accident" instead of "by accident"? but this is a different question.
We also say "by chance" rather than "on chance".
So, can anyone help me be Dad-who-knows-all again?
I think it is a question of idiomatic usage, on purpose is an idiomatic expression which dates back to the latter part of the 16th century:.
- "by design" is attested from 1580s.
Its earlier foorm was "of purpose (early 15c.)" probably from the French "de propos".
(Etymonline)
Note also the expression : accidentally on purpose:
Origin
The first printed record of this phrase that I can find is from The history of the famous preacher Friar Gerund de Campazas, by José Francisco de Isla, 1772:
- Tell us what is Modesty of Voice, for you happened accidentally on purpose to drop this word, and I don't rightly know what it signifies.
The Phrase Finder
