You searched for: “malaproping”
malaprop (verb), malaprops; malaproped; malaproping
To utter an amusing error which occurs when someone uses a word that sounds like another word but which has a completely different meaning: Oliver's cousin habitually malaprops words which he doesn't intend to be wrong; however, people can't help but laugh when he misuses such comments.

Examples of words that the cousin malaproped: "I regret that my affluence (influence) over my son is very small."

"Sure, if I reprehend (apprehend) anything in this world it is the use of my oracular (vernacular) tongue, and a nice derangement (arrangement) of epitaphs! (epithets!)"

This entry is located in the following unit: mal-, male-, mali- (page 2)