Malapropism

                                                                                                Mushroom Instead of Much Room

Malapropism is defined as the mistaken use of a word or group of words in place of a similar-sounding word or phrase, often with unintentionally amusing effects.

It is an unintentional humorous misuse of a word or a phrase of similar sound resulting in a non-sensical humorous utterance. Malapropism is a verbal error ... when somebody hears it ... they perceive it as funny, amusing, and laughable.

Malapropism was coined after Mrs. Malaprop a character from Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775) who is noted as somebody who is fond of using the WRONG word with a sound resembling the RIGHT word. Her actions gave rise to the English word malapropism, meaning a misapplication of a word, especially one that sounds like the intended word but is humorously wrong in context.

Mrs Malaprop comes from the French phrase mal à propos (which means inappropriate). A malapropism is also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism.

Is malapropism the same as a slip of the tongue? 

Malapropisms happen because the speaker genuinely confuses meaning with form. The speaker is bewildered and perplexed so he mixes up (things, ideas, etc). He confused his talk with irrelevant details and he failed to recognize the difference between; a mistake (one thing) for another.

Malapropisms are SLIPS OF THE TONGUE and this may be caused by tiredness ... or fast speech.

We have been saying that malapropism is unintentional.  It can be intentional when the actor deliberately recites malapropism lines written in the script of a movie or a TV show to create a comic effect. 

Malapropisms are a linguistic phenomenon that occurs in everyday speech, but they are also used deliberately as a literary device.  In literature and comedy, writers sometimes deliberately use malapropisms to inject humor or to add color to their work.

Examples of misuse of words:

1.  She was wearing a pink CASSEROLE (a deep pan) instead of a CAMISOLE (sleeveless undershirt)

2. I dance FLAMINGO (bird) instead of FLAMENCO (Spanish dance)

3. My father was confined in the hospital for swollen ASTER-OIDS (meteors) instead of ADENOIDS (lymph tissues).

4. Our plan to go to the beach was NIP IN THE BUTT (ass or behind) instead of NIP IN THE BUD (flower shoot)

5. Russia and Ukraine FOR ALL INTENSIVE PURPOSES agreed to a ceasefire instead of FOR ALL INTENT AND PURPOSES.

6.  The STATUE OF LIMITATION is a law that describes the duration in which parties involved in a dispute initiate legal proceedings instead of STATUTE OF LIMITATION. A statue is a sculpted figure while a statute is a law.