A malapropism is the humorous misuse of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often creating a nonsensical or amusing phrase.
For example:
* "He was dancing with the flamingo" (instead of flamenco).
* "I'm going to discombobulate that rug" (instead of discombobulate).
The term comes from the character Mrs. Malaprop in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play "The Rivals", who was known for her frequent misuse of words.