All that and a bowl of chips
Posted: December 16, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Al Sharpton, all that and a bag of chips, bowl of cherries, humor, language Leave a commentAl Sharpton said this one on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. It is a nice mashup of “all that and a bag of chips” (something very special) and “bowl of cherries” (very pleasant, wonderful). This one is close to a congruent conflation as both idioms refer to something positive. Sharpton might have been thinking about that ubiquitous bowl of potato or tortilla chips parked on the cocktail table for Sunday football.
The phrase “all that and a bag of chips” appears to be new slang, with origins perhaps as recent as the 90s. The phrase is credited to Subway, where initially a bag of chips was included in the price, so you got “all that and a bag of chips.” A big shout out to Mike Kovacs who heard this one and texted it in.
I’m in hog city
Posted: December 14, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: fat city, hog heaven, humor, idioms, language, malaphors Leave a commentThe speaker was enjoying himself, and unintentionally uttered this perfectly formed congruent conflation of “in hog heaven” and “fat city”, both meaning pleasant situations (the latter usually referring to a state of wealth). “Living high off the hog” (to prosper or live very well) could also be in the mix, as it has the same meaning as “fat city”. A big thanks to Bill Belanger for blurting out this one and sending it in! Oink oink.
When this deadline is crossed
Posted: December 11, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThis is another mashup from the Merry Malaphorer, Kasie Hunt, heard on MSNBC. It is a conflation of “cross the finish line” (complete a task) and “deadline is passed/missed” In doing a little research on this malaphor, I came across an interesting article on the origin of “deadline” and what “crossing a deadline” literally meant a line or ditch drawn or dug within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot. Andersonville had such a deadline. Here is the link to the article:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/your-deadline-wont-kill-you
A big thanks to Frank King who heard this one and passed it on!
I have been beating the horn
Posted: December 10, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beating the bushes for, humor, Jeremy Harris, malaphors, Seth Myers, words Leave a commentJeremy Harris, actor and playwright, was on Late Night with Seth Myers. He was talking about the federal theater project and how enthusiastic he was about it. This is a conflation of “beating the drum for” (promoting someone or something) and “blowing/tooting (one’s) own horn” (boast or brag about one’s abilities). “Beating the bushes” (trying very hard to achieve something) might be in play here as well given the context. And no, the subject was not masturbation. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and sent it in!
I’m not supposed to put my thumb on the Republican side
Posted: December 7, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentBrad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State, was telling the Washington Post that his strategy in administering the election was simply to follow the law:
“People made wild accusations about the voting systems that we have in Georgia,” Raffensperger said. “They were asking, ‘How do we get to 270? How do you get it to Congress so they can make a determination?’ ” But, he added, “I’m not supposed to put my thumb on the Republican side.”
This is a conflation of “put my thumb on the scale” (influence something in your favor) and “taking sides” (supporting one party in a dispute). A tip of the scales to Mike Kovacs for seeing this one and sending it in.
There will be hiccups in the road
Posted: December 4, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentSurgeon General Jerome Adams, in an NPR interview (All Things Considered), was talking about the COVID vaccine rollout and uttered this nice malaphor. It is a congruent conflation of “hiccups” and “bumps in the road”, both describing relatively minor setbacks or obstacles. You can read his interview here:
Perhaps a hiccup in the road is a little more problematic than a bump, or vice versa? Kudos to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and sharing it with us.
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This is uncharted ground
Posted: December 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentLaura Tucker, social worker in Hillsborough County, Florida, was talking on 60 Minutes about the difficulties looking for children in the age of a pandemic. This is a mashup of “uncharted waters/territory” (a situation which is unfamiliar and as a result might be dangerous) and “breaking new ground” (to begin to do something that no one else has done). You can hear the malaphor at about 21 minutes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/60-minutes/id81210923?i=1000499856285
A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!
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The truth is in the pudding
Posted: November 30, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, idioms, the proof is in the pudding, the truth will out, words 2 CommentsA defendant was telling Judge Judy that the facts will come out shortly. This is a conflation of “the truth will out” (the facts will always be discovered) and “the proof is in the pudding” (the final results of something are the only way to judge its quality or veracity). Some may think this is a malaprop (mistaken use of a similar sounding word) – “truth” for “proof”. However, given the context, it is very likely the speaker confused two idioms resulting in a nice malaphor. A big thanks to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for hearing this one and Mike Kovacs for his cub reporting.
They are not going to let this ship go down in flames
Posted: November 28, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: go down with the ship, humor, idioms, Kasie Hunt, language, malaphors Leave a commentKasie Hunt on MSNBC’s Morning Joe was musing about Republican senators not wanting the party to go down with Trump. I believe this is a conflation of “go down with the ship” (to fall or be punished because of one’s involvement with some larger group or enterprise) and “go down in flames” (fail spectacularly). “Shot down in flames” (judged harshly and rejected) might also be in the mix given the context. “Go down” is in both phrases, so is probably the cause of the mixup. A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in!
Stem this dam
Posted: November 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: break the dam, Heidi Przybyla, humor, idioms, language, stem the tide Leave a commentHeidi Przybyla was on Nicole Wallace’s MSNBC show, Deadline White House, and was talking about members of Congress coming forward and admitting that Biden won. She said there is a “question if those coming forward are going to be enough to stem this dam for part of the country.” This appears to be an incongruent conflation (mix of two idioms with opposite meanings) of “stem the tide” (stop the course of a trend or tendency) and “break the dam” (allow information to flow). A big thanks to Bruce Ryan and Frank King for both hearing this one and sending it in.
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