Trivia
HardMixed Idioms With A Resulting Nonsenical Meaning Are Known As?
Answer: Malaphors
One of the wonderful things about language is that there’s practically a word for everything, and if there isn’t—well, it’s just a matter of coining one. The foundation for our trivia answer today is built on two existing words, already interesting in their own right, to create a new word for an equally interesting concept.
A malapropism is a mistake wherein you replace a word with a similar sounding word that is incorrect (the word derives its name from Mrs. Malaprop in the 18th century play The Rivals, who was frequently guilty of the mistake). A metaphor is a figure of speech wherein a word or phrase is applied symbolically in a non-literal application. Smash the two concepts together, and what do you get? A malaphor: a wonderfully quirky linguistic construct that results from the mashup of two idiomatic concepts where the resulting phrase is metaphorically incorrect.
If you were to exclaim, for example, that something “wasn’t rocket surgery”, then you’d be guilty of this, as the nonsensical phrase combines the idioms “it’s not rocket science” and “it’s not brain surgery”. Similarly, “it’ll be a walk in the cake” combines “it’ll be a walk in the park” and “it’ll be a piece of cake” into a nonsensical construction. Equally nonsensical would be malaphor mashups like “he’s as dead as a fish” (conflating “he sleeps with the fishes” and “he’s as dead as a door nail”), “actions are mightier than the pen” (which, while a fine turn of phrase in its own right, is also a mashup of “actions speak louder than words” and “the pen is mightier than the sword).
Trivia
HardWhat Is The Most Expensive Video Game Console Of All Time?
Trivia
EasyRingworm Is Not Caused By Actual Worms, But By?
Trivia
HardWhich G.I. Joe Character Was Introduced To Save Money On Manufacturing Costs?
Trivia
HardThe Guiness Book Of World Records Requires Food Entries To Be?
Trivia
EasyThe “LP” In Record Labeling Nomenclature Stands For?
Trivia
HardWhich U.S. State Has The Longest Official Name?
Trivia
HardThe Last Version of Windows To Use FAT As The Default File System Was?
Trivia
HardWhich Of These Films Led To Increased Popularity And Sales Of Wayfarer Sunglasses?
Trivia
HardWhich Amusement Park Almost Built A Massive Myst-Themed Adventure?