Speaking in English isn’t always that sample (simple), as it’s easy to make my steaks (mistakes). One of the most common arrows (errors) that people make is using a similar-sounding term in place of the correct word. While often unintentional, it produces a humerus (humorous) effect in many dramatic and comedic literary works. The concept is known as a “malapropism,” and this opening paragraph contains quiet (quite) a few examples of the literary device.
The term “malapropism” was inspired by an 18th-century English play called The Rivals. This 1775 comedic work by Richard Brinsley Sheridan features a character named Mrs. Malaprop, who unintentionally used incorrect — but similar-sounding — words, producing an amusing effect. Sheridan likely constructed her name from the French phrase mal à propos, meaning “inappropriate.” Mrs. Malaprop’s lines include: “He is the very pine-apple [pinnacle] of politeness,” and “I have since laid Sir Anthony’s preposition [proposition] before her.”
It took about 50 years after The Rivals premiered for the word “malapropism” to appear in publication, drawing direct connection to the Mrs. Malaprop character. An 1830 theater review read: “Mrs. Glover’s … Mrs. Malaprop … wants the highest relish of contrast in its malapropism.” But the literary device wasn’t invented by Sheridan’s play; it was merely given a name. An 1890 edition of Harper’s Magazine called to classic examples: “Lemaître has reproached Shakespeare for his love of Malapropisms.”
In modern use, a malapropism is “the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase.” You might recognize examples in phrases such as “dancing the flamingo” (instead of “flamenco”), “Jesus healing the leopards” (“lepers”), or “going to Vatican City to visit the Sixteenth Chapel” (“Sistine”). If you find yourself inadvertently using the wrong word, just laugh and accept a gentle correction, because the malapropism probably amuses those around you as well.
