Malapropisms

Some famous examples of malapropism in pop culture are:
-Mrs. Malaprop said, "Illiterate him quite from your memory" (obliterate)
-Mrs. Malaprop said, "She's as headstrong as an allegory" (alligator)
-Yogi Berra said "Texas has a lot of electrical votes." (electoral votes)
-"Patience is a virgin." (virtue) – Archie Bunker from “All in the Family”
-You sit there like you in a comma (coma) – Archie Bunker
-"A witness shall not bear falsies against thy neighbor." – Archie Bunker from “All in the Family
-"It will take time to restore chaos and order." - President George W. Bush
-"They have miscalculated me as a leader." - President George W. Bush
You can try the very first Malapropism Android game at: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thunkable.android.riddlegoapp.malapropism . It contains hundreds of malapropism examples and fun to play.

Eee, phoenix that did make me laugh out loud!

phoenix I'm waiting for a gas engineer to check my meter this morning. I hope I'm not on the 'shitters feet' and that he doesn't need to fit any parts either

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Another friend of mine was very prone to Spoonerisms. Two particular ones come to mind, both happened when she worked for British gas, thankfully they were not during the same conversation with a customer!

"Yes Mrs Jones, you are down to have your boiler serviced today, I can see it on the shitters feet"

"Don't worry Mrs Smith, the engineer will be round to pit your farts this afternoon"

Oh this thread has made me laugh when I needed it! It does remind me of my mother though I honestly can't remember any of hers except Burly Chassis and Various Veins. My DGD may have inherited the genes however. She is hoping to go to Melted Cheese for a gymnastic display. ( Milton Keynes!)

We used to laugh at the spoonerism that my MIL had with regard to one of her neighbour's surname, which was Penalls, but MIL used to refer to her as Mrs Nipples! The worst part was, that when, by sheer chance we met this lady's daughter while on a holiday in Spain, we got talking and found that her mother lived in the same building as MIL, she then told us that she lived directly above MIL, my husband and I looked at each other and both exclaimed 'Mrs Nipples' and promptly burst out laughing!! Her daughter however, was not amused!!

cherry I'm another par carker! I also complain of my eggs laking!

This thread has made me laugh so much .

Agree with JackyB on presenters - on Radio 4 I heard an American academic refer to the black women who were computer experts at NASA (subjects of a recent Hollywood film) as 'notorious'!! I assume she meant notable.

Also, on a TV documentary Stalin was apparently 'fearful' towards his enemies, rather than fearsome.

Has anyone noticed how Lucy Worsley often picks the wrong words? Her English lets her down. She once said that the while the English had the expression "the French disease", the French thought that the English were mainly afflicted with "flagellation". She obviously meant "flatulence" - the people with her looked a bit baffled for a second.

I've noticed a couple of others, they were sort of George-Bushisms but I can't remember them exactly at the moment. She may know her subject well, but if she uses the wrong words to put it across, at worst, she will be misinforming people, and, at best, she will be undermining her own authority by not expressing herself properly.

I've also noticed other young people in the media who obviously know their onions, but then use the wrong words to put across what they are saying. E.g. by confusing "reticent" and "reluctant". Once I've heard someone get something like that mixed up, I then start pondering on it and don't listen to the rest of what they have to say.

Oops got problems writing this morning
'A while back I said.......'

A while back a said to my BIL
"The paint box at the end of your road needs Posting"
He nodded in agreement!
My sister said" just as well we're on your wavelength.

Par cark is another phrase I seem to have a problem with

My dad had two favourite singers, Burly Chassis and Rusty Springboard. I still use those names and each time I do I remember him.

Thank you phoenix for a chuckle on a grey Monday morning!

A friend was admiring the display in a very famous upmarket food store, when the straw boater & striped apron wearing assistant asked if he could help her.

She didn't want to admit that she was just looking, so chose the cheapest thing on display and said "I'll have a wurkey tinglet please"

Realising she had said it wrong, but not wanting to draw attention to her mistake, she then said in a very blase fashion "Oh, make it two"

Professor Spooner to student - "You have hissed my mistory lectures, you have tasted a whole werm, and you will leave by the town drain."

Professor Spooner to student - "You have hissed my mistory lectures, you have tasted a whole werm, and you will leave by the town drain."

Or a Spoonerism which was more my MIL's field of expertise

wromg??? That is wrong!

I wonder how many people had read it, how many hadn't read it but had heard of Mrs Malaprop who kept getting the wromg word, how many hadn't heard of her but knew the meaning of Malapropism, and how many didn't know the meaning but recognised the way people get a "near miss".

Perhaps saak has not read The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan?

Which word did you have to Google, SAAK ? It couldn't have been the ones mentioned here as they were the mistakes, the Malapropisms.

If it was Malapropism, then everyone who has posted examples (about 90 posts) must have known the word, so most people DON'T have to Google it. Anyone who didn't to start with but read the thread anyway will know what it means by now.

Why on earth would you use a word that most people need to google.

When my former colleague's husband was taken ill, she was very relieved when the 'perimadics' arrived to take him to hospital!

I was chatting to a proud mum earlier today who was telling me all about her children's achievements "and our youngest and her husband are going to build an E.coli house". Hope she didn't see me smirk.