Building a case that will withstand muster

Posted: June 22, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment
Attorney Gerald Griggs said this one on the MSNBC show, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.  It is a mashup of “pass master” (satisfactory) and “withstand scrutiny” (something successful even after review).  This is a subtle one for sure.  A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and passing it on!

The genie is out of the bag

Posted: June 17, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This malaphor was found in the Wall Street Journal: Devesh Shah, retired from Goldman Sachs, wrote this gem in an article about volatility:

“It started out as a metric,” said Devesh Shah, who first helped make the widely watched volatility gauge, the Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, tradable in 2004 while he was at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, before retiring as a partner. “Now…the genie is out of the bag and volatility is everywhere.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/volatility-is-everywhere-the-market-tactic-thats-driving-stocks-haywire-11591977978?mod=hp_lead_pos5#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20started%20out%20as%20a,bag%20and%20volatility%20is%20everywhere.%E2%80%9D

This is a mashup of “the genie is out of the bottle” (something has been done that cannot be changed) and “let the cat out of the bag” (allow a secret to be known).  Genies and cats “come out” of something, leading to this mental mixup.  A big thank you to Cecily Franklin who spotted this beauty!

Clean the deck

Posted: June 15, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Former Republican National Committee head Michael Steele said this one on the MSNBC show, Deadline: White House, when discussing Trump firing people in his Administration.  This is a mashup of “clean house” (to rid an organization of the people seen as troublesome) and “clear the decks” (prepare for action or to flee hastily).  Both expressions involve eliminating people or things.  Also the words “clean” and “clear” are similar in sound.  Perehaps the speaker was thinking of cleaning his deck, a yearly spring cleaning task.  A tip of the hat to Frank King, the Mental Health Comedian, for hearing this one and passing it on.
You may want to clean the deck of your reading backlog to make way for my new, soon to be released second malaphor book, “Things are Not Rosy-Dory”, devoted to mashups uttered by politicians and political pundits (like Michael Steele).  Look for it on Amazon soon!  Meanwhile, you can grab a copy of my first malaphor book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205

Hold your cool

Posted: June 12, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This was heard on MSNBC in a discussion regarding the recent protests on racism.  It is a congruent conflation of “hold (one’s) temper” and “keep your cool”, both meaning to refrain from being angered by some provocation.  I also found this malaphor in a Wikihow presentation on overcoming racism.  https://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Racism.  This is similar to a malaphor uttered by Paul Ryan and posted a few years ago, “I want to hold my powder”.  https://malaphors.com/2013/04/15/i-want-to-hold-my-powder/

A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and passing it on.

Things kind of petered off

Posted: June 8, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This unfortunately comes from a sad passage in an article about Covid-19 deaths, but it’s a malaphor nonetheless. Here’s the sentence: “And then things kind of petered off a little bit in those areas, and now we’re kind of seeing it getting closer and wondering when we’re gonna have to deal with this. But again, we’re preparing for it as best as we can in the hospitals that I’m working for.” This is a congruent conflation of “petered out” and “tapered off”, both meaning to diminish gradually and then stop.   Here’s the link to the article: https://link.esquire.com/view/5976491c487ccd1f468b4eedc874i.3ql/6cadebe4

A special thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one, and for his wise counsel about not posting a descriptive picture of this malaphor.

 

The ball’s on them

Posted: June 5, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Uttered by an engineer at a conference call.  This is a nice congruent conflation of ” the ball’s in your court” and “the onus is on them”, both meaning under one’s control or responsibility.  I suppose if the ball is not only in your court but actually ON you then you might have a heightened responsibility.  Malaphors are like that sometime; they improve our established idioms.  This one is similar to a previous post, “The ball’s in your hand now”.  https://malaphors.com/2018/07/04/the-balls-in-your-hand-now/

A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

The ball’s on you to discover more malaphors by getting my book, “He Smokes LIke a Fish and Other Malaphors”, available on Amazon.  Just click on the link here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.  Also stay tuned for my upcoming malaphor book dedicated to those mashups uttered by politicians and pundits over the past four years.  It is top of the notch!

I’m still getting the ropes

Posted: June 3, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A dentist said this one as he explained all the new things he has to do because of the virus.  This is a congruent conflation of “I’m still getting the hang of it” and “I’m still learning the ropes”, both meaning to learn how to do a particular job or task.  So, as we begin to reopen the country, make sure and get a few ropes.  A big thanks to Barry Eigen for hearing this one and sending it in.

It serves the trick

Posted: June 1, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The speaker was assessing the suitability of some household item for another purpose.  This is a congruent conflation of “does the trick” and “serves the (a) purpose”, both meaning to achieve a desired result.  Might also be a bridge game malaphor.  A big thanks to Chief Malaphor Hunter Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one.

Breadearner

Posted: May 29, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My wife said this one when discussing a spouse who was earning most of the money in the household.  It is a word blend malaphor of “breadwinner” (a person who earns money to support a family) and “wage earner” (a person who works for a salary).  Check out my word blends I have posted over the years.  Just type word blend in the Search feature on the website.  Also, I have a chapter devoted to these special malaphors in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon for cheap!

I got tired of the gyms getting thrown under the bridge

Posted: May 27, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gym owner Monty Webb was frustrated by the lockdown and decided to open.  He uttered this nice malaphor, a mashup of “throw (someone) under the bus” (to exploit someone’s trust for one’s own purpose) and “water under the bridge” (something happened in the past and it is not worth worrying about it now).   Here is the quote in context:

Gym co-owner Monty Webb of Plum said he’s had enough.

He and his wife, Linda, own and operate Webb’s World of Fitness in Penn Hills.

And he’s open for business.

“I opened because it’s essential. Your heath is essential,” Webb said. “I got tired of the gyms getting thrown under the bridge. You’re thanking all these essential businesses and essential workers. I’ve been doing this for 32 years. It’s essential.”

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/penn-hills-gym-reopens-despite-gov-wolfs-orders/

A big thanks to Mike Ameel for spotting this one and sending it in.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →