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Catachresis
Catachresis is the (usually intentional) use of any figure of speech that flagrantly violates the norms of a language community. Compare malapropism.
Common forms of catachresis are:
- Using a word to denote something radically different from its normal meaning.
- Using a word out of context.
- Using paradoxical or contradictory logic.
- Creating an illogical mixed metaphor
Catachresis is often used to convey extreme emotion or alienation, and is prominent in baroque literature and, more recently, in the avant-garde.
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