Catachresis is the misuse or figurative application of a word or phrase, often creating a "mixed metaphor" or a striking rhetorical effect, exemplified by "blind mouths" in Milton's "Lycidas."
Catachresis refers to the misuse or figurative application of words, often creating striking rhetorical effects, as seen in mixed metaphors like 'blind mouths' in Milton's Lycidas.
| Front | catachresis |
|---|---|
| Back | the misapplication of a word , sometimes ineptly , as in mixed metaphor , but often striking rhetorical effect ex; blind mouths! in Lycidas استعمال غلط کلمه Catachresis (from Greek κατάχρησις, "abuse"), originally meaning a semantic misuse or error—e.g., using "militate" for "mitigate", "chronic" for "severe", "travesty" for "tragedy", "anachronism" for "anomaly", "alibi" for "excuse", etc.—is also the name given to many different types of figures of speech in which a word or phrase is being applied in a way that significantly departs from conventional (or traditional) usage.[1] |
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