I know this word well, reading as many badly-edited indies as I do, but I thought the origin was especially charming. Also, I dont understand whats wrong with being the pineapple of politeness. Merriam-Websters Word of the Day for November 02, 2014 is: malapropism \noun\ MAL-uh-prah-piz-um 1 : the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase; especially : the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context 2 : an example of malapropism : malaprop Examples: Unloosing one of his frequent malapropisms, grandfather declared that by eating healthy and exercising regularly he hoped to become nearly immoral. Thank you so much, Dunham said to a tanned and slender young blonde who, in a rather brilliant malapropism, said, Id be remorse if I didnt stop and say how much I love your work. Meghan Daum, The New York Times Magazine, September 4, 2014 Did you know? Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Sheridans 1775 play The Rivals, was known for her verbal blunders. He is the very pine-apple of politeness, she exclaimed, complimenting a courteous young man. Thinking of the geography of contiguous countries, she spoke of the geometry of contagious countries, and she hoped that her daughter might reprehend the true meaning of what she was saying. She regretted that her affluence over her niece was small. The word malapropism derives from this blundering characters name, which Sheridan took from the French term mal à propos, meaning inappropriate.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 01:15:14 +0000
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