Word of the Day Archive
Friday November 30, 2007
malapropos \mal-ap-ruh-POH\ , adjective:
1. Unseasonable; unsuitable; inappropriate.
adverb:
1. In an inappropriate or inopportune manner; unseasonably.
Such malapropos wise cracks are driven home with a relentlessly upbeat soundtrack which serenades scenes of human tragedy with bouncy, Disneyesque melodies.
-- Steve Rabey, "Noah's Ark' hits bottom: Miniseries suffers from lack of accuracy", Arlington Morning News, May 2, 1999
As an on-air radio pronouncer, I am quite familiar with the hazard of opening the mouth before the brain is in gear. It is very easy to fire-off a malapropos statement in the heat of trying to make a point and the result is some funny things are said, but perhaps not meant.
-- Gerry Forbes, "Foot-in-Mouth Afflictions", Calgary Sun, March 18, 2001
Malapropos comes from French mal à propos, "badly to the purpose."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for malapropos
