[Ads-l] Antedating of "Malapropism"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Sheridan's "Mrs. Malaprop" also inspired the descriptive term
“malapropish” in 1824, but the semantic niche was filled by
“malapropism”.

Date: December 4, 1824
Newspaper: The Sheffield Independent
Newspaper Location: Sheffield Independent
Article: A Short Tour in Derbyshire (From the Literary Chronicle)
Quote Page 4, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com
Database: British Newspaper Archive

[Begin excerpt]
It is true he did not always know when to talk, and when to bold his
tongue, —but who could expect so rare a quality?—and to cockney
travellers he was himself a host in the way of exhibiting new words,
whether provincial or malapropish.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Thu, Jan 12, 2023 at 3:15 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The citation James Eric Lawson found in the January 1826 issue of “The
> London Magazine” is a diary for the month of December (according to
> its title). The word “malapropism” appears in the entry for the 13th.
> Thus, “malapropism” was apparently written on December 13, 1925.
> Therefore this citation probably should be considered an antedating.
>
> Date: January 1, 1826
> Periodical: The London Magazine
> Article: Diary of "A Constant Reader" for the Month of December
> Start Page 76, Quote Page 82
> Diary Entry for December 13, 1825
> https://books.google.com/books?id=gQEFAAAAQAAJ&q=%22this+malapropism%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt – double check for OCR errors]
> In an account of a little piece at the Adelphi, called Success, (a
> quiz on the press,) the New Times represents "The Observer and
> Thespian Sentinel, as trying a close bout of manual espionage," "A
> close bout of manual espionage!" What in the name of refinement does
> the accomplished critic mean? Lady Morgan, in her happiest moments of
> French, never surpassed this malapropism.
> [End excerpt]

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