Malapropisms

What is a malapropism?

• it is the unintentional (and usually very funny) misuse of a word or phrase.
• named after Mrs Malaprop, a character in R.B. Sheridan’s comedy The Rivals.

Some examples

• • Why not? Play captains against each other, create a little dysentery in the ranks
    (Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos)
  • There’s no stigmata connected with going to a shrink.”
    (Little Carmine in The Sopranos)
  • “Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.” Dan Quayle, Vice President
  • He was a man of great statue. Thomas Menino, Boston mayor
  • Well, that was a cliff-dweller. Wes Westrum, about a close baseball game

And then you have these:

 

And this one has, over time, become a bit of an inside joke.