malapropism

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malapropism

1. the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one of similar sound, esp when creating a ridiculous effect, as in I am not under the affluence of alcohol

2. the habit of misusing words in this manner

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References in periodicals archive ?

Laura Robinson-Thomas is all malaprops and flatulence as Lady Clem, Arthur's aunt and first chosen victim.

Play melds Oscar Wilde with Mel Brooks

Richard Lederer, whose longtime love affair with our tortured tongue has brought us more than 30 books of hysterical grammatical gaffes, malaprops, and bloopers.

The English tongue licks its wounds: a tangled tongue or a word that should be herded back into its pen can bring the world what it can never really get enough of--a good reason to laugh

She also utilizes arbitrary mechanisms promoted by the French avant-garde Oulipo school and enriches her repertoire with deliberate malaprops and spoonerisms.

Sleeping with the Dictionary. (Reviews)

You start to notice little things that occur around you: accidental puns, malaprops, mixed-up phrases.

To be or naught to be +

That was as close as Ron came to mastering 'Rosicky', while the malaprops proved contagious.

ITV's big yawn did my 'nod' in; Couch Potato

BILL WILL, Washington Newspaper Publishers Association: "Back in the late '70s or early '80s, the Lewiston Morning Tribune in Idaho had a sports copy editor infamous for malaprops. His finest hour in the headline writing category was his offering for a wire story on then- famous distance runner Craig Virgin's triumph in Atlanta's Peachtree Classic road race: 'Virgin holds off 10,000 in Peachtree.'"