"So I said to her, say hello to your Auntie Climax..."
What's the word for that? Is it a pun? a malaprop? spoonerism? LitReactor has a great article on the differences, with examples. Some highlights:
Malaprop: For their honeymoon, the couple intended to take an erotic island vacation. (exotic)
Pun: The plumbing store was flush with a variety of toilet seats.
Spoonerism: "Three cheers for our queer old dean!" (dear old queen, referring to Queen Victoria)
Eggcorn: “feeble” instead of “fetal”: When I learned that the zombie apocalypse was really upon us, I had to resist the urge to curl up into a feeble position and just let the undead feast on me.
Neologism: A new word that works its way into the lexicon before becoming it's own word. Usually comes from a company, brand, or product (e.g.,internet, laser, xerox).
Portmanteau: A special kind of neologism made by smushing two words together to create a new one (think celebrity couples: Ben + Jennifer = Benifer).I encourage you to check out the full post if grammar and semantics are your thing. Clearly, they are not our forte.
