The malapropism is a composite phrase made up of two or more cliché or platitude elements that do not belong together. It has much in common with catachresis, the combining of metaphorical elements that are at odds with one another—so much so that catachresis often manifests as malapropism. The distinction is that malapropism is a splicing-together of phrase formulas. And because it is recognisably constructed out of formulaic elements that do not belong together—or not analytically speaking, at least—a close observation of malapropism can give us a powerful insight into the language practices and grammatical pathologies of public figures.