How would a phrase such as "Does the pope sh*t in the woods" be classified? The closest I can get is "intentional malapropism".

How would phrases such as "Does the pope sh*t in the woods? Does a bear wear a funny hat?" be classified? The closest I can get is "intentional malapropism". Thanks for your help.

Solution 1:

This is known as a mixed metaphor:

Mixed metaphor: a figure of speech combining inconsistent or incongruous metaphor

The specific phrase "Does the Pope shit in the woods?" (quoting The Big Lebowski) is listed on TV Trope's page dedicated to mixed metaphors, and is cited over at the Straight Dope message boards as well.

For fun, here's a long list of mixed metaphors.

Solution 2:

As I see it, the two defining characteristics of phrases like the ones you mentioned are as follows.

• They are rhetorical affirmations; the answer to the question is understood to be obviously "yes".
• They are intentional malapropisms; you are mixing and matching portions of different rhetorical affirmations.

Therefore, they could be classified as intentionally malaproposed rhetorical affirmations.