malapropisms
Comical verbal mistakes
Malapropisms are mistaken uses of words that sound similar to the intended word but have a different meaning, often with humorous effect: for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes, or escape goat instead of scapegoat.
The term comes from Mrs.
Malaprop, a character in an 18th-century play known for such verbal blunders.
Unlike simple mispronunciations, malapropisms substitute one real word for another, creating unintentionally absurd meanings.
Of or in words
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- substitutionExchange of one for another
- errorFault in communication
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
confusion · speech · vocabulary · diction · pronunciation · homophone · eggcorn · mondegreen
Amusing quality
- sitcomEpisodic TV comedy series
- gaffeClumsy social error
- blooperEmbarrassing recorded mistake
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
Sheridan · absurdity · wordplay · misquote · unintentional · laughter · farce · slapstick
Elizabethan dramatist and poet
- satireMockery exposing vice
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- pretensionUnwarranted claim to merit
affectation · pomposity · ignorance · education · class · parody · caricature · lampoon
One's word collection
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
- spellingCorrect letter sequence
literacy · remediation · correction · pedagogy · language arts · speech therapy · reading · phonics
verbal
Of or in words
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- substitutionExchange of one for another
- errorFault in communication
phonetic · confusion · speech · vocabulary · diction · pronunciation · homophone · eggcorn · mondegreen · spoonerism
humor
Amusing quality
Sheridan · punchline · absurdity · wordplay · misquote · unintentional · laughter · farce · slapstick · wit
Shakespeare
Elizabethan dramatist and poet
- satireMockery exposing vice
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
pretension · affectation · pomposity · ignorance · education · class · parody · caricature · lampoon · mockery
vocabulary
One's word collection
- pronunciationManner of speaking words
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
spelling · literacy · remediation · correction · pedagogy · language arts · speech therapy · reading · phonics · articulation
malapropismseloquence
Persuasive verbal grace
articulateness · proper usage · clear communication · verbal fluency
malapropismswitticisms
Clever, amusing remarks
bon mots · puns · wordplay · rhetorical flourishes · double entendres
malapropismsspoonerisms
Sound-swapping speech errors
mondegreens · eggcorns · solecisms · mispronunciations · grammatical errors