He is turning around a new leaf
Posted: February 7, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, leaf, THINGS, turn | Tags: blended idioms, conflations, expressions, humor, language, leaf, malaphors, mixed idioms, turn over a new leaf, turning around, words Leave a commentMy daughter said this one yesterday and immediately texted me (I have malaphor hunters everywhere). This is a conflation of “turning around” and “turn over a new leaf”, both meaning to change. Here is a great example using the malaphor:
Oprah Winfrey has dropped 25 pounds on her new diet!! After launching her OWN network and a subsequent battle against low ratings Oprah packed on some pounds. This year however the media mogul is turning around a new leaf and hired a new chef.”
http://www.popularcritic.com/2012/06/20/oprah-winfreys-weight-loss-plan-revealed/
When it boils down to it
Posted: February 6, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, boil | Tags: blended idioms, boils down, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, when it comes down to it, words Leave a commentMartin, a professor at a famous university, saw this in a paper he was reviewing and shared it with me. It is a mash up of “when it comes right down to it” and “boils down to (something)”. It also is in a headline in that very popular website, justkateplus8.com:
When it boils down to it,isn’t Kate Gosselin a good-looking woman?
http://justkateplus8.com/when-it-boils-down-to-itisnt-kate-gosselin-a-good-looking-woman/
He was telling my ears off
Posted: January 25, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, ear | Tags: blended idioms, conflations, ears, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, talking my ear off, telling him off, words 1 CommentI heard this one at lunch yesterday from a former colleague, Cindy. We looked at each other and said, “malaphor”! It is a mash up of “talking my ears off” (excessive talking) and “telling me off” (scold someone). Telling also sounds like yelling, which I think also was going on.
We’ve got our hands cut out for us
Posted: January 21, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, cut, hand | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, hands, hands full, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words, work, work cut out for us Leave a commentThis is a mixture of “our work cut out for us” and “we’ve got our hands full”, both meaning a lot of work is ahead. There are other phrases involving the word “hands” that might be in play – “many hands make light work”, all hands”, “helping hands”. Perhaps the severed hand below will help…
We barely scratched the tip of the iceberg
Posted: January 19, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, iceberg, scratch, THINGS | Tags: blended idiom, expression, humor, iceberg, language, malaphor, mixed idiom, scratched the surface, tip of the iceberg, words Leave a commentThis congruent malaphor is a mix of “barely scratching the surface” and “tip of the iceberg”, both referring to the beginning of a much larger issue or problem. Here is an example
in context:
In closing, the recession is hard but that is not to say that survival is impossible, but you will have to be more creative with your money especially if you are a family at a budget. Of course, these tips only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to financial planning and frugality. If you’ve already done these tips and are finding you need additional help, then never underestimate the power of a reasonable and well-thought-out budget. (from the article, Top 5 Ways for families to survive the Recession – http://voices.yahoo.com/top-5-ways-families-survive-recession-8644177.html?cat=25).
English: Iceberg around Cape York, Greenland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it
Posted: January 17, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, bridge, burn, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, bridgei, burn, burn your bridges, cross that bridge when we come to it, expressions, humor, Jimmy Buffett, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 3 CommentsThis malaphor, popularized by Jimmy Buffett, is a mash up of “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” (don’t worry about something that has not happened) and “burn your bridges” (permanently end relationships).
“Burn That Bridge”
But your love is something new
When I hold you we’re swaying in the wind
Of all the bridges I’ve ever crossed
High and lonesome and wild and lost
I feel this time I’ll take it to the end
We don’t care what the people may say
If there’s a price it’s the price we’ll pay
[Chorus:]
And we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it
Burn that bridge when we come to it
Burn that bridge when we come to it
Burn it down
Burn it down
We’ve both done our share of runnin’ around
Now we know enough to know the kind of love
we’ve found
It’s the real thing and we’ve got to see it through
I’m a singer and a sailor on a midnight sea
Oh captain come and take me on your fantasy
If we’re crazy that ain’t nothin’ new
‘Cause we don’t care what the people may say
If there’s a price it’s the price we’ll pay and
[Chorus]
Who knows how it started
Who knows it’s ends
The point of no return is waiting
just around the bend
[Chorus]
It’s like shooting ducks in a barrel
Posted: January 16, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, barrel, duck, shoot, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, ducks, ducks all in a row, expressions, fish, malaphors, mixed idioms, shooting fish in a barrel, wordplay, words 2 CommentsThis is a mash up of “shooting fish in a barrel” (easy action with guaranteed success) and “all your ducks in a row” (getting everything in order), submitted by a loyal follower, the TruroTattler. Given the enormous amount of google hits, this is a common malaphor, as ducks appear to be as easy a target as fish. Also shooting mechanical ducks in a penny arcade shooting gallery is certainly playing on the mind in this one.
He doesn’t want to appear to be pushing on anyone’s toes
Posted: January 12, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, push, toes | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, language, linguistics, malaphors, mixed idioms, pushover, stepping on toes, toes, wordplay, words Leave a commentI can’t remember the context of this odd malaphor but it could be a mash up of “stepping on someone’s toes” (offend someone) and possibly “push the envelope” (to go further beyond the accepted limits). However, I think “pushover” (a person easily taken advantage of) or “pushy” (overly forward) is probably what the speaker was thinking of as he might be describing himself as both not offending his audience and taking advantage of them.
If the tables were reversed…
Posted: January 9, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, table, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, roles reversed, turn the tables, words Leave a commentI heard this one on the radio last week. In context, the speaker was clearly wanting to say “if the roles were reversed”, but instead mixed in “tables were turned” (to cause a reversal in one’s plans). The confusion lies in the similar words reverse and turn. Also the idioms have similar meanings, but as “my ol’ pal” points out, “tables were turned” means getting even with someone while roles were reversed has a broader connotation.
They really kicked themselves in the foot
Posted: January 4, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, foot, kick | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, foot, kicked myself, malaphors, mixed idioms, Oklahoma football team, shot myself in the foot, words Leave a commentThis is a mash up of “shot myself in the foot” (said or did something stupid that causes problems for the person) and “kicked myself” (feel angry with yourself because you have done something stupid). This was heard by Deb Rose on a local sports show in Oklahoma. After the University of Oklahoma suffered a painful loss, making mistake after mistake and giving away the win, a local sportscaster said, “Boy, they really kicked themselves in the foot!”
Malaphors 
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