# Ammunition for Malaprops -- Words easily confused **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 3, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183 "2006-08-03T13:03:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/1 "2006-08-03T13:03:59Z")
First off: what are some good synonyms for “malapropism”? Next off: some easily confused words that make the utterance funny or idiotic, depending on who says it and who’s listening or keeping score: Moot – Mute – Mutant – Mutt Foment – Ferment – Fervent Ballot – Ballet Prostate – Prostrate – Frustrate – Frustrum – Fulcrum We need Norm Crosby’s ghost to haunt this thread. Was/is anybody else making a good living out of malapropisms as comedy? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/2 "2006-08-03T13:08:11Z")
Moot – Moo No one cares what a cow has to say. It’s “moo”. Repository = suppository ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/3 "2006-08-03T20:22:09Z")
proposition -\> preposition -\> preperation ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/4 "2006-08-03T20:50:06Z")
One I see a lot: Assume \<–\> Presume ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/5 "2006-08-03T21:40:27Z")
laminating, lamenting horse, whores meating, mating hysteric, historic ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/6 "2006-08-03T22:56:22Z")
more… emasculate, immaculate, emancipate impedance, impudence, impotence, importance ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/7 "2006-08-04T02:00:04Z")
historic, historical ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/8 "2006-08-04T02:07:14Z")
Angela on _Project Runway_ asked her client (Miss USA) if she liked umpire waistlines. My friend confuses scores of words and everytime I hear one I cringe. I’ve erased them all from my brain except pillar and pilar. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/9 "2006-08-04T02:16:15Z")
A genuine malapropism from the first time I ever got drunk: eye of a needle/knee of an idol ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/10 "2006-08-04T02:32:32Z")
peak/peek/pique peddle/pedal/petal meddle/medal/metal ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/11 "2006-08-04T02:36:01Z")
ammunition \<\> munitions ---
**Author:** ![Electrical\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac8455/32.png) [@Electrical\_Storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electrical_Storm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/12 "2006-08-04T03:03:31Z")
faculties\<\> facilities I thought it was hilarious, but no one knew why I was laughing. Turns out everyone else at the meeting thought she’d used the correct term. :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/13 "2006-08-04T03:36:24Z")
Synonyms for malapropisms - scrumbled anguish, er, scrambled english, ah… a fox pass, no, a faux pax… foe’s paw?.. when you can’t streak spite, er, speak right… oh, other terns will come to me… ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/14 "2006-08-04T03:49:50Z")
Color me skeptical of this spectacle. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/15 "2006-08-04T05:12:52Z")
In the '70s there was a novelty song about Rindercella and her two sisty uglers, who sat around cheating ocholates and magging ritazines. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/16 "2006-08-04T05:18:16Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] In the '70s there was a novelty song about Rindercella and her two sisty uglers, who sat around cheating ocholates and magging ritazines. 😃 [/QUOTE] I found the text to the above: [Goonerisms Spalore!](http://www.matthewgoldman.com/spoon/rindercella_8.html) Ok I’m an idiot they are spoonerisms, not malapropisms. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/17 "2006-08-04T05:43:18Z")
woo hoo! I’m masticating like a motherfuck!!! ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/18 "2006-08-04T16:00:23Z")
amiable, amicable ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/19 "2006-08-04T17:31:59Z")
[QUOTE=Rock n Roach] amiable, amicable [/QUOTE] [Thesaurus.com](http://Thesaurus.com) lists amiable as a synonym for amicable and vice versa, both meaning friendly, more or less. What’s the nuance that I’m missing? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammunition-for-malaprops-words-easily-confused/367183/20 "2006-08-04T22:38:12Z")
There was a post titled “What kind of earnings do chess masters make”. Every time I read that I thought is said “What kind of earrings do chess masters make”.