an incongruous misapplication of a word, as in ‘polo bears’ or ‘neon stockings’
named after Mrs Malaprop, a character often misusing words in The Rivals, a comedy by R B Sheridan d.1816, Irish dramatist. The many gaffes made by Mrs Malaprop (named from malapropos1) include the observation: ‘As headstrong as an allegory [alligator] on the banks of the Nile’