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November 03, 2005

Word of the Day

catachresis \kat-uh-KREE-sis\ noun

*1 : use of the wrong word for the context
2 : use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speech

Example sentence:
The paper printed a correction for the previous day's catachresis: dubbing a local artist-philanthropist a "socialist" when they meant "socialite."


I find myself calling Bingley a "fascist" when I meant to say "fathead", so this has some relevance.

Posted by tree hugging sister at November 3, 2005 03:54 PM

Comments

Are you inferring that I use words incorrectly?

Posted by: Ken Summers at November 3, 2005 05:30 PM

Well, I think she meant something else when she accused you of senile dysfunction.

Posted by: Cullen at November 3, 2005 06:40 PM

Cullen, that was the other place. Talk about senile...

Posted by: Ken Summers at November 3, 2005 10:42 PM

I never said that, CulLEN. His senility is functioning just fine.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at November 3, 2005 11:18 PM

I realize his senility is functioning fine. Hence the catachresis.

Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 07:02 AM

The nuns were very mean when they were teaching my catachresis classes.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 4, 2005 07:56 AM

Not being Catholic, I have no idea what you're Tolkien about.

Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 09:26 AM

Oh heck, Cullen, even folks who aren't Catholic know about nuns; they're the women who wear hobbits on their heads.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 4, 2005 09:51 AM

Of course I know the nones. Watt I was Tolkien about was the catharsis. I intended private school. But our Christian instructors didn't hit us with rulers when we fried ents with magnifying glasses.

Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 10:18 AM

I thought "catachresis" was something they put on people confined to a hospital bed?

Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at November 4, 2005 11:44 AM