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Literary

Malapropisms

substitution of a word for a word with a similar sound, in which the resulting phrase makes no sense but often creates a comic effect

Named after the character Miss Malaprop in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 1775 play The Rivals, a malapropism is any well-intended saying that takes on a different and often ludicrous meaning when a similar yet utterly inappropriate word is used. To wit: ‘He is the very pineapple of politeness.’

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