Malapropisms: Answers

1. prospector ( a prospectus is a brochure advertising a school, enterprise. Etc.).

2. terra firma (terra firma means solid ground or dry land; terracotta is unglazed earthenware).

3. Fait accompli (a fait accompli is something that has been done and cannot be altered; a Fiat is a make of car).

4. contradiction (contradiction means denying the truth of something; contraception is the intentional prevention of pregnancy).

5. mascara (mascara is make-up used particularly to darken the eyelashes; cascara is a laxative).

6. antidote (an antidote is a medicine that counteracts a poison; an anecdote is a short account or story).

7. prostrate (prostrate means lying down; prostate is a gland in male bodies).

8. voracious (voracious means greedy or ravenous; veracious means truthful).

9. salvia (salvias are scarlet flowers; saliva is a liquid secreted in the mouth).

10. equilateral (equilateral means having all sides equal; equatorial means of or near the equator).

11. dilemma (someone on the horns of a dilemma is faced with equally unattractive alternatives; an enema is an injection into the rectum).

12. varicose veins (varicose veins are not necessarily close together: they are swollen).

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