Catachresis

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Audiendus
Wordmaster
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Catachresis

Postby Audiendus » Wed Oct 03, 2018 9:23 pm

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.

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Slava
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Re: Catachresis

Postby Slava » Sat Feb 27, 2021 11:36 am

Taken up and treated here.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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