Not an argument that carries a lot of water

In the podcast, All In with Chris Hayes, journalist Josh Marshall is discussing the Dominion suit against Fox, and says that the Fox argument that only the guests were making false statements doesn’t “carry a lot of water”. This is a mashup of “carries a lot of weight” (wields importance or influence) and “holds water” (an argument that seems reasonable or in accordance with the facts). Both idioms involve arguments that are powerful and persuasive. The synonyms “carry” and “hold” undoubtedly led to the confusion. “Carry someone’s water” (to do someone’s menial or difficult tasks) is in itself an idiom, probably adding to the mix.

You can hear this malaphor at the 31:35 mark of the podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000603384587

A big thank you to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in.