Catachresis

[Audiendus]

Catachresis

An unconventional use of a word, either through error (e.g. mitigate instead of militate), or deliberately for effect (e.g. the weeping of the clouds), or in order to create a new expression (e.g. soap opera, disc jockey).

Malapropisms (e.g. 'philanthropy' for 'philately') and single-word spoonerisms (e.g. 'hedgeslammer' for 'sledgehammer') are types of catachresis. Single-word metaphors are another type of it.