Searching for the right word

[Herb Stahlke]

Malacalquism?

On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 7:59 PM, Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Subject:      Searching for the right word
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The speaker at my Rotary Club meeting today, a Palestinian and a fluent, =
> but non-native English speaker, referring to Hamas, said "...Hamas is =
> a...what do you say in English?...a getaway goat" A moment's reflection =
> revealed he was thinking "escape" for "scape" and substituting the =
> synonym.
>
> Interesting.  I wonder if a term exists that describes that sort of =
> substitution.
>
> Bill Palmer
>
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