the.com/malentendu
the gap between what you meant and what landed, weaponized by silence.
means a misunderstanding, especially one left to fester because nobody bothered to clarify.
from french, from mal (badly) plus entendu (heard/understood) — literally a badly-heard thing, cousin to english mishear but with more romantic fallout.
favorite habitatfrench farce and doomed love letters
english cousinmisunderstanding, but less dramatic
molière loved itplots hinge on it constantly