1. Plural of catachresis; instances of misuse or strained application of words or expressions, especially the use of a word in a way that is not literally correct.
Usage: Formal; primarily used in rhetoric, linguistics, and literary criticism; Often refers to mixed metaphors or forced figurative language

Examples

• The poet's catachreses—calling the moon a 'silver tongue'—created an unsettling effect.
• Literary critics identified several catachreses in the advertisement's awkward phrasing.
• His speech was filled with catachreses that made the meaning unclear.
• The author deliberately employed catachreses to challenge conventional language use.
• Catachreses can sometimes become accepted through repeated use in popular speech.