For me it is Mondegreen: which is a misheard lyric, word or phrase that becomes popular and gives it new meaning.

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 60 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Malaphors are my faves. Like saying "we'll burn that bridge when we get to it*

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 39 points 2 years ago* (3 children)

    I enjoy "portmanteau": the combination of two words to get a new meaning."Brunch"

    Malapropisms are great, too. "He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious"

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • load more comments (2 replies)
    [–] 37 points 2 years ago* (5 children)

    “Aptronym”

    When someone’s name is fitting for their occupation.

    Tiger Woods (like the gold club)

    Usain Bolt (who bolts quickly)

    Etc.

    Also whatever this is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 32 points 2 years ago (6 children)

    I’m a big fan of contronyms, words with two opposite meanings. I first learned looking for a word to describe the change in “literally” from meaning, well, the literal meaning of something to also the figurative meaning.

    Another good one is dust. You can dust your house to remove dust, but you can also dust a cake with powdered sugar.

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago*

    I wonder if there's a word for when a whole phrase has two opposite meanings without one of the words in it being a contronym (or using sarcasm, etc)

    The example that made me think of this is a song lyric:

    And she's dancing like she's never danced before!

    There's the intended meaning of better than ever... But if I were to dance it would also be like I've never danced before.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    Also known as autoantonym (antonym of itself). e.g. "Because of my oversight, my project is finished."

    Did the person make an oversight, i.e. a mistake, and now his project is done for?

    Or did the person's well-adjusted oversight, i.e. management, help complete his project on time?

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (3 replies)
    [–] 29 points 2 years ago* (4 children)

    Antimetaboles, maybe? It's when you switch two words for poetic effect.

    When the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'!

    It's fun to sound pseudo-poetic by trying to make one on the fly. Easier than a limerick

    In this world, you either have bot aim, or you have aimbot.

    It's better to cum in the sink than to sink in the cum

    Shakespeare was lowbrow too, ok

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago

    The Sphinx : Your temper is very quick, my friend. But until you learn to master your rage...

    Mr. Furious : ...your rage will become your master? That's what you were going to say. Right? Right?

    The Sphinx : Not necessarily.

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (2 replies)
    [–] 23 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Irony

    like Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia being the fear of long words

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I'm a fan of semantic satiation, wherein you hear something so much that it doesn't sound like a real word anymore.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Eggcorn, when someone mistakenly modifies a word by misinterpreting a part of it. Example: Eggcorn (acorn).

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I once did something sort of like this.

    Back in the early days of the internet, I was on IRC playing trivia. Often people would talk about wag or wagging. I didn't know exactly what it meant but I'm pretty good at inferring from context clues... usually.

    They asked a Star Wars question and of course I knew it right away. I realized in the moment I was practically wagging in anticipation of being correct and I announced it as my first wag.

    Of course, wag stood for wild ass guess so I had gotten the meaning completely backward. It still haunts me to this day, some 35+ years later, even though no one but me probably knew about my mistake.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    "pseudo-anglicisms". good examples are eye-shopping, relooking, face control and salaryman.

    their origins are interesting and colorful.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • load more comments (4 replies)
    [–] 14 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Tmesis, because you can make some unf*ckingbelievable words with it.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (7 children)

    Spoonerisms Malaprops are when a character chooses a similar sounding but wrong word for comedic effect.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    Found some spoonerisms for folk that don't know what it is -

    Three cheers for our queer old dean!" (while giving a toast at a dinner, which Queen Victoria was also attending)[15]

    "Is it kisstomary to cuss the bride?" (as opposed to "customary to kiss")[15]

    "The Lord is a shoving leopard." (instead of "a loving shepherd")[15]

    "A blushing crow." ("crushing blow")[15]

    "A well-boiled icicle" ("well-oiled bicycle")[15]

    "You were fighting a liar in the quadrangle." ("lighting a fire")[15]

    "Is the bean dizzy?" ("Dean busy")[15]

    "Someone is occupewing my pie. Please sew me to another sheet." ("Someone is occupying my pew. Please show me to another seat.")[15]

    "You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted a whole worm. Please leave Oxford on the next town drain." ("You have missed all my history lectures. You have wasted a whole term. Please leave Oxford on the next down train.")[15]

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (4 replies)
    [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Looks like someone also watched that Vsauce video 🙃

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] [S] 8 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Another is Tautonyms: a word made of two of the same words eg. Yo-yo or AT-AT.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

    You saw V-Sauce's video, didn't you?

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • load more comments (2 replies)
    [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • load more comments
    view more: next ›