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Origin of "Malapropism"

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John

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Jul 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/30/00
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This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
all?)

Thx,
John


Red Valerian

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Jul 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/30/00
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On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 19:51:25 GMT, "John" <local...@earthlink.net>
wrote:
The word malapropism was indeed coined from Mrs. Malaprop, but she
was a character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play "The
Rivals."

Here are some examples of some of her malapropisms:

...you will promise to forget this fellow - to ILLITERATE him, I say,
quite from your memory.

...you know I have proof CONTROVERTIBLE of it.

...I would by no means wish a daughter of mine to be a PROGENY of
learning.

...if ever you betray what you are entrusted with you forfeit my
MALEVOLENCE forever...

...he is the very PINE-APPLE of politeness!

The last one always makes me smile, but for the most part I find Mrs
Malaprop's word confusions the very opposite of amusing.

For the British Soap-watchers out there, don't you think that Ethel
from EastEnders is a modern-day and particularly irritating
incarnation of the 'type?'

Red Valerian

Martin Rand

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Jul 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/30/00
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On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 06:00:31 +1000, Sky Rider <ODPS@(Remove this AND
the brackets)cyberscriber.com> wrote:

>On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 19:51:25 GMT, someone let "John" write:
>
>>This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
>>Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
>>all?)
>

>I thought Mrs Malaprop was in Oscar Wildes "The Importance of Being
>Ernest"?

Third time lucky, kids... Sheridan's play "The Rivals", 1775.

Mal a propos = inappropriate.


--
Martin (off-duty)
Chandlers Ford, Hampshire

John

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Jul 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/30/00
to
Thanks Red and Martin - I just got the Sheridan reference from a friend,
too.

Sky Rider - thanks for playing. Looks like you and I need remedial English
lit!

- John


"Red Valerian" <hg...@dial.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:sr29oscttepv88l4g...@4ax.com...


> On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 19:51:25 GMT, "John" <local...@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> >This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
> >Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
> >all?)
> >

Matti Lamprhey

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Jul 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/30/00
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"Sky Rider" <ODPS@(Remove this AND the brackets)cyberscriber.com> wrote in
message news:6929os0keibng972i...@4ax.com...

> On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 19:51:25 GMT, someone let "John" write:
>
> >This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
> >Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
> >all?)
>
> I thought Mrs Malaprop was in Oscar Wildes "The Importance of Being
> Ernest"?

No no, Mrs Malaprop was a character in Fawlty Towers by J R R Tolkien. I
think she was played by R B Sheridan in the movie.

Matti

Sky Rider

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Jul 31, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/31/00
to
On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 19:51:25 GMT, someone let "John" write:

>This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
>Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
>all?)

I thought Mrs Malaprop was in Oscar Wildes "The Importance of Being
Ernest"?

--
Sky Rider

----------------------------------
What's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?? Of course... a visit to ...

http://cash4u2.cjb.net

... for the "Top Ten" of ad-bar reward programs!!
----------------------------------

Andrew C Taubman

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Jul 31, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/31/00
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No, it was from Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775).
--
Andrew "or Dikkens, the celebrated Dutch author" Taubman

Sky Rider

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Jul 31, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/31/00
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On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 21:26:08 +0100, someone let Martin Rand write:

>Third time lucky, kids... Sheridan's play "The Rivals", 1775.

just testing :))

Sky Rider

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Jul 31, 2000, 3:00:00 AM7/31/00
to
On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 20:37:15 GMT, someone let "John" write:

>Thanks Red and Martin - I just got the Sheridan reference from a friend,
>too.
>
>Sky Rider - thanks for playing. Looks like you and I need remedial English
>lit!

heh :))

lingu...@gmail.com

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Sep 24, 2014, 11:17:26 AM9/24/14
to
On Sunday, 30 July 2000 09:00:00 UTC+2, John wrote:
> This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
> Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
> all?)
>
> Thx,
> John

Pickwick Papers?

lingu...@gmail.com

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Sep 24, 2014, 11:23:07 AM9/24/14
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I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO INVENT "BUONAPROPS" - For example,

"I wish I could do something about my fat legs, but unfortunately they RUN IN THE FAMILY.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Sep 24, 2014, 12:23:02 PM9/24/14
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=malapropism&allowed_in_frame=0

malapropism (n.)
1826, from Mrs. Malaprop, character in Sheridan's play "The
Rivals" (1775), noted for her ridiculous misuse of large words (such
as "contagious countries" for "contiguous countries"), her name
coined from malapropos.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=malapropos&allowed_in_frame=0

malapropos (adv.)
1660s, from French mal à propos "inopportunely,
inappropriately," literally "badly for the purpose," from mal (see
mal-) + proposer "propose" (see propose).

Sheridan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Brinsley_Sheridan


--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

njhan...@gmail.com

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Feb 8, 2015, 7:39:21 AM2/8/15
to
Le dimanche 30 juillet 2000 09:00:00 UTC+2, John a écrit :
> This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
> Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
> all?)
>
> Thx,
> John

Malapropisms may be irritating, but sometimes they can be quite appropriate ; Ex. :- Prendre un congé SYMPATHIQUE.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Feb 8, 2015, 8:03:43 AM2/8/15
to
On Sun, 8 Feb 2015 04:39:19 -0800 (PST), njhan...@gmail.com wrote:

>Le dimanche 30 juillet 2000 09:00:00 UTC+2, John a écrit :
>> This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
>> Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
>> all?)
>>
It was Sheridan, not Dickens.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/malapropism

Origin
mid 19th century: from the name of the character Mrs Malaprop in
Sheridan's play The Rivals (1775) + -ism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism#Etymology

The word "malapropism" (and its earlier variant, "malaprop") comes
from a character named "Mrs. Malaprop" in Richard Brinsley
Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals.[2] Mrs. Malaprop frequently
misspeaks (to great comic effect) by using words which don't have
the meaning she intends, but which sound similar to words that do.
Sheridan presumably chose her name in humorous reference to the word
malapropos, an adjective or adverb meaning "inappropriate" or
"inappropriately", derived from the French phrase, mal à propos
(literally "poorly placed"). According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, the first recorded use of "malapropos" in English is
from 1630,[3] and the first person known to have used the word
"malaprop" in the sense of "a speech error" is Lord Byron in 1814.


>> Thx,
>> John
>
>Malapropisms may be irritating, but sometimes they can be quite appropriate ; Ex. :- Prendre un congé SYMPATHIQUE.

Peter Young

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Feb 8, 2015, 8:08:24 AM2/8/15
to
On 8 Feb 2015 njhan...@gmail.com wrote:

> Le dimanche 30 juillet 2000 09:00:00 UTC+2, John a écrit :
>> This came up in discussion at my writers' group the other night. Mrs.
>> Malaprop was a character in what Dickens novel? (Was it even Dickens at
>> all?)

Sheridan, The Rivals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaprop

Peter.

--
Peter Young, (BrE, RP), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004.
(US equivalent: Certified Anesthesiologist)
Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired.
http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk

cynthia...@gmail.com

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May 2, 2017, 2:38:42 PM5/2/17
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I was certain there was a Mrs malaprop in a Dickens book. I shall have to look that up in my collection now,I mean who was I thinking of?

Hen Hanna

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May 2, 2017, 5:53:56 PM5/2/17
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On Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 11:38:42 AM UTC-7, cynthia...@gmail.com wrote:
> I was certain there was a Mrs malaprop in a Dickens book. I shall have to look that up in my collection now,I mean who was I thinking of?


I have NO idea, but when you find out, pls let us (me) know!

then i'll tell you about Mrs malaprop in a Smollett book.


"Cheers! -- Who says [cheers]?" HH

Peter Young

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May 2, 2017, 5:59:15 PM5/2/17
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On 2 May 2017 cynthia...@gmail.com wrote:

> I was certain there was a Mrs malaprop in a Dickens book. I shall have
> to look that up in my collection now,I mean who was I thinking of?

Sheridan, "The Rivals".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaprop

Whiskers

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May 3, 2017, 7:15:55 AM5/3/17
to
On 2017-05-02, Peter Young <pny...@ormail.co.uk> wrote:
> On 2 May 2017 cynthia...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> I was certain there was a Mrs malaprop in a Dickens book. I shall
>> have to look that up in my collection now,I mean who was I thinking
>> of?
>
> Sheridan, "The Rivals".
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaprop
>
> Peter.

Wikipedia didn't exist when this thread was started.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~
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