Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Malapropism
A malapropism, of just a malaprop, is a misused word that sounds similar to the correct word, often to comic effect. It comes from a character named Mrs. Malaprop in the 1775 play “The Rivals,” by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The character, Mrs. Malaprop, frequently mixed up closely sounding words as a comic device. For example, Mrs. Malaprop says, “He is the very pineapple of politeness” for the “pinnacle” of politeness. This comic device wasn’t invented by Sheridan. Shakespeare famously used it in 1598 in his play “Much Ado About Nothing,” with a character named Constable Dogberry. Instead of apprehending two suspicious persons, Dogberry said, “Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons.”
Some people refer to this phenomenon as a Dogberryism rather than a Malapropism, but no matter what they are called, they can be a lot of fun. The absolute serious delivery of a totally incorrect word was one of the hidden delights of watching “The Sopranos.” The show produced such gems as, “She’s like an albacore around my neck,” “He’s trying to create a little dysentery among the ranks,” “the sacred and the propane,” “a red lettuce day” and “the hair apparent.” Their use of malapropisms led to such twisted idioms as “revenge is like serving cold cuts,” “that’s the flying ointment” and “he took off like a bat on a hill.” It was entertaining to watch stone-cold killers slay the English language.
