The Rivals
/ðə ˈraɪvlz/
/ðə ˈraɪvlz/
- a comic play (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, in which two young men are rivals for the love of the same young woman, Lydia Languish. The play's most famous character is Mrs Malaprop, who often confuses words that sound similar. Examples of this became known as malapropisms.