It was trial by error

Continuing with the legal theme, this is a mental hiccup of “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success) and “trial by fire” (a test of one’s abilities to do well under pressure).  The obvious culprit here is the word “trial” used in both phrases.  My fellow lawyers would say this malaphor should certainly be appealed.  Incidentally, this was the title of a Murder She Wrote episode (season 2, episode 13 to be exact).  Kudos to Caleb Harris who heard this from his girlfriend’s lips and immediately sent this to the website.  Caleb knows these gems are fleeting moments that are quickly forgotten unless written down.