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MALAPROPISM

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | | Copyright

MALAPROPISM [Named after Mrs Malaprop, a character in Richard Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775), from the French mal á propos inappropriate]. An error in which a similar-sounding word is substituted for the intended one, a characteristic of the fictional Mrs Malaprop, who produced such errors as ‘pineapple’ for pinnacle (‘He is the very pineapple of politeness!’), ‘interceded’ for intercepted (‘I have interceded another letter from the fellow!’). See CONFUSIBLE, ELOCUTION, SLIP OF THE TONGUE.

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TOM McARTHUR. "MALAPROPISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "MALAPROPISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MALAPROPISM.html

TOM McARTHUR. "MALAPROPISM." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-MALAPROPISM.html

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malapropism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

malapropism XIX. f. name of Mrs. Malaprop, character in Sheridan's ‘The Rivals’ (1775), remarkable for her misuse of words, f. malapropos inopportune(ly) (XVII) — F. mal à propos not to the purpose; see MAL-, APROPOS, -ISM. Malaprop was formerly so used, and as adj.

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T. F. HOAD. "malapropism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "malapropism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-malapropism.html

T. F. HOAD. "malapropism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-malapropism.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	For All "Intensive" Purposes: A Primer on Malapropisms, Eggcorns, and Other... Magazine article from: Army Lawyer; 12/1/2008
	malapropism; n. ludicrous misuse of words, esp. through confusion caused by... Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN); 6/9/2002
	RACING: I must speak well of Malapropism.(Sport) Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England); 5/18/2002