5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms

5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms 5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms 5 Mixed-Up Malapropisms By Mark Nichol It’s almost impossible to speak or write English without dodging a misnomer or a malapropism at least once in your lifetime. A misnomer (the word is derived from the Latin for â€Å"incorrect name†) is forgivable usually, it’s merely a matter of retaining an obsolete description, as in â€Å"pencil lead† for the graphite used in writing instruments, or referring to the United States as a democracy, when it’s technically a federal republic but a malapropism is a bald sign of carelessness or overreaching for elephants. Eloquence. I meant eloquence. Sometimes, of course, it’s used for comic effect. (That’s where we get the word malapropism. It comes from malapropos, the Latin for â€Å"inappropriate,† entering the English language when playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan used it as the name of a character who, out of ignorance, uttered humorous inanities.) Here are some examples of malapropisms to avoid: 1. â€Å"Her plans didn’t jive with his ambitions.† Jive means â€Å"to deceive†; the writer meant jibe, â€Å"to coincide†: â€Å"Her plans didn’t jibe with his ambitions.† 2. â€Å"Who was the first Englishman to circumvent the globe?† In one sense, circumvent means â€Å"to go around,† so it superficially works here, but the most common meaning is â€Å"to evade,† so, unless the Englishman was a fugitive astronaut, circumnavigate is the word the writer is looking for: â€Å"Who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe?† 3. â€Å"In outrage, she responded vehemently to the anti-Semitic epitaphs at the rally.† An epitaph is a commemorative inscription or comment about a deceased person. The correct word is epithets (an epithet, in this context, is an insult): â€Å"In outrage, she responded vehemently to the anti-Semitic epithets at the rally.† (Epithet can also mean a substituting word or phrase such as â€Å"the Father of Our Country† or, in biology, a term in a taxonomic name.) 4. â€Å"I awaited her arrival with baited breath.† Baited means â€Å"lured† or â€Å"teased† (or â€Å"attacked,† â€Å"harassed,† or â€Å"persecuted†). The writer should have written bated (â€Å"withheld†): â€Å"I awaited her arrival with bated breath.† 5. â€Å"I wouldn’t step foot in there if you paid me.† This substitution of step for set is a minor flaw, but the latter word is the standard idiom: â€Å"I wouldn’t set foot in there if you paid me.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of Phrases50 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)