The term is named for the fictional Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's play
The Rivals, who frequently replaces words in her speech. For example: declares to Captain Absolute in Act 3 Scene III: "Sure, if I
reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my
oracular tongue, and a nice
derangement of
epitaphs!" This nonsensical utterance might, for example, be corrected to, "If I
apprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my
vernacular tongue, and a nice
arrangement of
epithets", —although these are not the only words that can be substituted to produce an appropriately expressed thought in this context, and commentators have proposed other possible replacements that work just as well. Other malapropisms spoken by Mrs. Malaprop include "
illiterate him quite from your memory" (instead of "obliterate"), "he is the very
pineapple of politeness" (instead of
pinnacle) and "she's as headstrong as an
allegory on the banks of the Nile" (instead of
alligator). In Act 3, Scene V of
Much Ado About Nothing, Constable Dogberry tells Governor Leonato, "Our watch, sir, have indeed
comprehended two
auspicious persons" (i.e.,
apprehended two
suspicious persons). Malapropism was one of
Stan Laurel's comic mannerisms. In
Sons of the Desert, for example, he says that
Oliver Hardy is suffering a nervous "shakedown" (rather than "breakdown"), calls the Exalted Ruler of their group the "exhausted ruler" and says that he and Oliver are like "two peas in a pot" (instead of "pod"); in
The Music Box, he inadvertently asked a policeman, "Don't you think you're bounding over your steps?" meaning "overstepping your bounds", which has much in common with the transposition of a Spoonerism. Sometimes even Laurel's partner,
Oliver Hardy, also practiced malapropism, particularly correcting Stan's; in
The Live Ghost Stan tells a captain that he heard the ocean is
infatuated with sharks. Oliver is quick to call out Stan's malapropism only to correct him with another: "Not
infatuated! He means
infuriated." The correct word in question is actually
infested.
Emily Litella, a fictional character created and performed by American comedian
Gilda Radner used malapropism to entertain viewers on the late-night comedy show
Saturday Night Live, including one skit in which she was puzzled over the hubbub surrounding the "plight of Soviet jewelry" instead of "Soviet Jewry". British comedian
Ronnie Barker also made great use of deliberate malapropisms in his comedy, notably in such sketches as his "Appeal on behalf of the Loyal Society for the Relief of Suffers from Pismronunciation", which mixed malapropisms and garbled words for comic effect – including news of a speech which "gave us a few
well-frozen worms (i.e., well-chosen words) in praise of the society".
Ring Lardner used malapropism extensively for comic effect. For example, in his short story
The Young Immigrunts, the four-year-old narrator repeatedly refers to a bride and groom as the "bride and glum".
Archie Bunker, a character in the American TV sitcom
All in the Family, used malapropisms frequently: he refers, for example, to "off-the-docks Jews" (
Orthodox Jews) and the "Women's
Lubrication Movement" (rather than
Liberation). Intending to refer to the medical specialized field of
gynecology and to specialist in that field as a gynecologist, he would mispronounce the words as "groinecology" and "groinecologist".
Tyler Perry's fictional character
Madea is known for her
Southern dialectical usage of malapropisms, which some critics link to the
mammy archetype.
Ricky LaFleur of the
Trailer Park Boys is known for his constant malapropisms, which are often called "Rickyisms". Some of his more notable ones include "worst case Ontario" (instead of "worst case scenario") and "two turnips in heat" (instead of "turn up the heat"). A parody by author
Michael Rosen of the
traditional story of
Hansel and Gretel, entitled "Handsel and Gristle," makes extensive use of malapropisms. For example, the character of the woodcutter becomes the "woodnutter," their "cottage" is replaced with a "sausage" and the word "any" is replaced with the
proper noun "Lenny" - who is also treated as an additional character by the narrator whenever this occurs. ==Real-life examples==