Up a tree without a paddle
Posted: September 26, 2012 Filed under: THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, creek, difficult situation, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, paddle, tree, up a creek without a paddle, up a tree, words Leave a commentThis one is a mash up of “up a tree” and “up a creek without a paddle”, both meaning having difficulty or being in a difficult situation. The confusion is obvious: both idioms have similar meanings, both contain the word “up”, and there is assonance in the words “tree” and “creek”. I suppose in a flood you actually might be up a tree without a paddle!
that’s a hard row to climb
Posted: September 25, 2012 Filed under: ACTION | Tags: blended idoms, challenge, expressions, hard row to hoe, malaphors, mixed idioms, uphill climb, words Leave a commentI think this is a mash up of “hard row to hoe” and “it’s an uphill climb”, both meaning a difficult situation to deal with. The speaker may also have been thinking “road” instead of “row” and perhaps meant to say a “hard road ahead” or a “rocky road”, again meaning a challenging situation. Farmers sometimes do terrace farming on hill sides, so the speaker may have been thinking rows to hoe uphill. Who knows what lurks in the mind of the malaphor speaker?
You hit the nose on the head
Posted: September 23, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, correct, expressions, head, hit the nail on the head, malaphors, mixed idioms, nose, on the nose, words Leave a commentIf you type this malaphor on a google search, you get hundreds of responses, reflecting how often this malaphor is written/spoken. It is a blend of “hit it on the nose” and “hit the nail on the head”, both phrases meaning getting something exactly right. I suspect the confusion here is also prompted by two words that are both body parts and four letter words. It also could be from watching too many Three Stooges comedies.
Don’t air your dirty laundry in the closet
Posted: September 22, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, CLOTHING, PLACES, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, dirty laundry, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, out of the closet, skeletons in the closet, words 2 CommentsCertainly words of wisdom. This is a mash up of “don’t air your dirty laundry” (don’t reveal secrets publicly), “out of the closet” (a secret revealed to the public) and “skeletons in the closet” (deep secrets one does not want revealed), all referring to secrets. And of course dirty laundry often is collected in hampers in the closet so laundry and closet are word associations. On the other hand, maybe the speaker was being literal and recommending that dirty laundry in a closet will eventually make your closet smell….doubtful.
Don’t rock the trough!
Posted: September 21, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: bite the hand that feeds you, blended idioms, compliance, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, passivity, rock the boat, words Leave a commentA personal favorite of mine (in fact it is the tagline under my picture), this is a mixture of “don’t rock the boat” (don’t upset people by trying to change the situation) and “feed at the trough” (getting something, usually money, without working), both describing passivity and compliance. This malaphor is unusual in that the combination actually is closer in definition to a third phrase – “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” (don’t criticize the person or organization that helps or pays you).
Turn a deaf eye
Posted: September 20, 2012 Filed under: BODY PARTS | Tags: blended idioms, blind, deaf, eye, fall on deaf ears, malaphors, mixed idioms, turn a blind eye Leave a commentThis amusing malaphor is a mash up of “turn a blind eye” (ignoring something) and “fall on deaf ears” (information ignored by the person it was intended for). Both idioms involve the act of intentionally ignoring important information, perhaps making the blended idiom more emphatic although patently absurd. Both idioms are also four words, and both contain senses and body parts, which could also have contributed to the confused outcome.
He’s feathering his own bed
Posted: September 19, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, PLACES, THINGS | Tags: avarice, blended idioms, expressions, feather your own nest, greed, make your own bed, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentA mash up of “feathering your own nest” (looking after your own interests, particularly material ones) and “make your own bed” (to be the cause of one’s own misery). This is an interesting malaphor, as it combines an expression of greed with one that indicates a person must deal with his/her own actions – in this case, avarice. As a result, I like this one better than “feathering his own pockets” (see blog entry 9/2/12)), a combo of two similar meaning idioms. The speaker may also have been thinking down or feathered pillows/bed when he uttered this confused expression. See also topic #11 in the Malaphors in the Media page on this website for a quote using this malaphor.
It was a case of the tail biting the dog
Posted: September 18, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, BODY PARTS | Tags: bark worse than his bite, blended idioms, dog, expressionis, malaphors, mixed idioms, tail wagging the dog, wag, words 2 CommentsI think this is a mash up of “tail wagging the dog” (a situation where a small part is controlling the whole of something) and “his bark is worse than his bite” (person seems more hostile than he really is). The latter includes the visual of a dog biting and hence the confusion. I say think because there are other possible explanations for the mix up. My “ol pal” thinks the phrase “man bites dog” (aphorism in journalism which describes how an unusual, infrequent event is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence) is involved since it evokes a visual of both parties biting. There is also the phrase “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” (don’t treat someone badly who is helping you). I guess this is an unsolved “case”. Any other suggestions?
She got off on a sour foot
Posted: September 17, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, sour note, words, wrong foot Leave a commentThis is a blend of “strike a sour note” (signify something unpleasant) and “off on the wrong foot” (starting something, like friendship, with negative factors, both indicating something unpleasant or, as my “ol pal” says, leaves someone with a bad taste in his/her mouth. Perhaps the speaker was referring to “the shoe pinches” malaphor posted a few days ago. My guess is if a shoe pinches it will result in a sour foot.
He said it off the top of his cuff
Posted: September 16, 2012 Filed under: BODY PARTS, CLOTHING, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, off the cuff, off the top of his head, words Leave a commentThis is one from “the master”, and it shows. Subtle and brilliant, it is a mash up of two similar meaning idioms – “off the cuff” (speaking spontaneously without rehearsal) and “off the top of his head” (saying something without thinking about it first). Combining these two idioms into one shows “the master’s” continued economical use of the English language.
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