1. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    Using incorrect word for comic effect?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by OurJud, Jun 7, 2018.

    What's the name given to the devise where an incorrect word is used for comic effect, because it has a similar sound to the correct one?

    Stan Laurel does it a lot. For instance in Them Thar Hills when he and Ollie are discussing a camping trip in the hills, Ollie ask if they could get a trailer up there, to which Stan replies, "Certainly! Right up in the high multitude."

    I also remember a character in some film mixing a can of paint and when testing its thickness says, "Ah, yes. Just the right contingency."
     
  2. SethLoki

    SethLoki Retired Autodidact Contributor

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    I think it's maybe 'malapropism' that you're looking for.
     
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  3. Solar

    Solar Banned Contributor

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    Seth beat me to it.

    Malapropism
     
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  4. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    Wonderful. Thank you, both.

    I kept thinking spoonerism, but I was obviously wrong.
     
  5. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    Spoonerisms are when you reverse the initial letters of words in a sentence or phrase.

    "Today, we'll be reading from Dickens' classic novel, A Sale of Two Titties." (A Tale of Two Cities)
     
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  6. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    Yank tou.

    That one doesn't work, does it?
     
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