# Amusing mispronunciations **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870 "2003-10-11T18:06:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![An\_Lu\_abu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@An\_Lu\_abu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Lu_abu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/41 "2003-10-12T19:58:51Z")
Some of these are called malapropisms, after a character called Mrs. Malaprop from some old radio comedy (mal a propos, French for ‘not fit for purpose’). Example: Christoper Columbus circumsised the world with forty foot clippers. or Samuel Goldwyn, when informed a script for a new movie was too caustic, replied “to hell with the cost, we’ll make it anyway” Then you have mispronounciations- my dad’s friend is a classic, eg: He drinks Macari and Coke (bacardi), he complains about his impressor failing (compressor), and he bought a new imputer (guess). He also complains about the derickle building next door… I have one coworker, a Phd, who inists on saying bifurcation as ‘bi-furry-cation’, drives me up the wall… ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/42 "2003-10-12T20:06:15Z")
My fault. I meant ‘malapropisms’ for the thread. Thanks **An Lú abú** , your columbus and goldwyn examples are exactly what I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Lu\_abu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@An\_Lu\_abu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Lu_abu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/43 "2003-10-12T20:22:05Z")
No problem, I used to have a book that was a collection of malapropisms and spoonerisms. Check out the links below for more: [http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/1521/9malapropisms.html](http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/1521/9malapropisms.html) [http://www.canadianquotations.com/malapropisms.html](http://www.canadianquotations.com/malapropisms.html) ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/44 "2003-10-12T20:29:53Z")
Any literature mavens out there? Isn’t Mrs. Malaprop from an old play by Sheridan or Goldsmith, or one of those other old playwriting types? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Lu\_abu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@An\_Lu\_abu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Lu_abu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/45 "2003-10-12T20:38:45Z")
You could well be right, **quiltguy** , I only remember the character and the etymology of the name, not the exact origination. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/46 "2003-10-12T20:44:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by roxx222 \* > \*\*Lloyd Robertson on CTV news here in Canada pronounces the “d” in Wednesday. Everyone I know pronounces it “wensday”, with two syllables, but good ol’ Lloyd always says “weDnesday”, with three. > > Have any of you ever heard anyone else say it this way? Is it an acceptable pronunciation? \*\* How the hell do you _do_ that? I’m sitting here like a damnfool, repeating to myself “Wen-nes-day–weds-day --wed-neds-day—” and not being able to get it right! Goodness, as an admitted grammar and pronunciation snob\* (even towards myself), it really irks me. 🙂 Anyway, on to the topic with some gems I’ve heard: Corveyor Belt Menestration Fella-tee-o for “Fellatio” My friend once asked a favor of me thusly: “Hey Joe, I gotta propaganda for you.”. I have heard “expresso” endlessly, as well as nucular, and they both piss me off. Moreover, I heard Tom Green use this pronunciation one evening—I thought you Canadians had the Queen’s English! 😉 \*This post is immunized against Gaudere’s Thing—d’oh! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Lu\_abu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@An\_Lu\_abu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Lu_abu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/47 "2003-10-12T20:45:27Z")
There you go: [http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2000/07/070700\_malaprop.jhtml](http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2000/07/070700_malaprop.jhtml) Sheridan indeed, from 1775. It seems I made a moustache 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/48 "2003-10-12T20:47:17Z")
y ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/49 "2003-10-12T20:49:26Z")
:smack: I was gonna post a 😃 . I needed the list of smileys so to get to them I usually type a letter then press preview. But I pressed submit like a fool. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870/50 "2003-10-14T19:27:09Z")
Ma knew exactly what she was saying when she said, “Ooooh, I made a fox’s paw!” and reversed a euphemism, “…and he got doodley twat.” “It got me so flustrated.” A Ford Exploder He had an old Trash-80 computer. Wimpsical, meaning wimpy Contract disc A limping poet, I guess, has versitis. My computer teacher called \* an asterick, so I told her to remember, “I regret that I have but one asterisk for my country.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-mispronunciations/206870.md?page=2)