Catachresis

(n.) A figure by which one word is wrongly put for another, or by which a word is wrested from its true signification; as, To take arms against a sea of troubles. Shak. Her voice was but the shadow of a sound. Young.

Thesaurus Entries

abuse of office, addiction, afflict, aggrieve, assail, assailing, assault, atrocity, attack, bark at, batter, befoul, befoulment, belittle, berate, berating, betongue, betray, betrayal, bewitch, billingsgate, bitter words, blacken, blackening, blackguard, blaspheme, bleed, bleed white, blight, bruise, buffet, call names, calumniate, calumniation, calumny, catachresis, censure, condemn, contumely, conversion, convert, corrupt, corrupt administration, corruption, criminal assault, crucify, curse, cursing, cuss out, damage, damn, debase, debasement, debauch, debauchment, deceive, decry, defalcate, defalcation, defamation, defame, defile, defilement, defloration, deflower, deflowering, dependence, deprave, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, desecrate, desecration, despoil, despoilment, destroy, detract from, diatribe, disadvantage, discount, disparage, dispraise, disserve, distress, diversion, divert, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do violence to, do wrong, do wrong by, do wrong to, doom, drain, embezzle, embezzlement, envenom, epithet, epithetize, execrate, execration, exploit, fault, force, foul, fouling, fulminate against, get into trouble, harass, hard words, harm, hex, hurt, ill use, ill-treat, ill-treatment, ill-usage, ill-use, impair, impose, impose upon, imprecation, infect, injure, injury, insult, invective, jaw, jawing, jeremiad, jinx, knock about, lambaste, lead astray, libel, load with reproaches, make use of, maladminister, maladministration, malediction, malfeasance, malign, maligning, malpractice, maltreat, maltreatment, malversation, manhandle, manipulate, mar, masturbation, maul, menace, mess up, milk, minimize, misapplication, misapply, misappropriate, misappropriation, misconduct, misemploy, misemployment, misfeasance, mishandle, mishandling, mislead, mismanage, mismanagement, mistreat, mistreatment, misusage, misuse, molest, molestation, mud, objurgate, objurgation, obloquy, onslaught, oppress, opprobrium, outrage, peculate, peculation, persecute, perversion, pervert, philippic, pilfer, pilfering, play havoc with, play hob with, play on, poison, pollute, pollution, poor stewardship, prejudice, presume upon, priapism, profanation, profane, profanity, prostitute, prostitution, rag, rail at, railing, rape, rate, rating, ravage, rave against, ravish, ravishment, rebuke, reproach, revile, revilement, reviling, rough, rough up, ruin, savage, scathe, scold, scolding, screed, scurrility, seduce, seducement, seduction, self-abuse, sexual assault, slander, soil, spoil, stroke, suck dry, sully, swear, swear at, swearing, taint, take advantage of, threaten, thunder against, tirade, tongue-lash, tongue-lashing, torment, torture