Stop yanking my leg
Posted: January 3, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, leg, yank | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, pulling my leg, words, yanking my chain Leave a commentThis wonderful congruent malaphor is a mash up of “pulling my leg” (tricking or fooling someone) and “yanking my chain” (bothering someone). Or then again, it could be a physical therapy patient protesting…. Thanks to Anna Washabaugh for contributing this one!
Let dead dogs sleep
Posted: January 2, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, dog, sleep | Tags: blended idioms, dogs, don't beat a dead horse, English Language, expressions, horses, let sleeping dogs lie, malaphors, mixed idioms, Richard Lederer, words 3 Comments
Cover via Amazon
This is a conflation of “let sleeping dogs lie” (leave something alone that might cause trouble) and I think “don’t beat a dead horse” (don’t waste time doing something that has already been attempted). When you mix dogs with horses, and sleeping with lying and dying, you get this malaphor. This one comes from Richard Lederer‘s Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon the English Language, rev. ed. Wyrick, 2006.
It’s as easy as falling off a piece of cake
Posted: January 1, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, cake, fall, FOOD, pie | Tags: blended idioms, conflations, easy as falling off a log, easy as pie, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, piece of cake, words 2 Comments
English: Wedding cake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a mash up of “it’s as easy as falling off a log”, “easy as pie”, and “it’s a piece of cake”, all meaning something very easy. This is a great example of a congruent malaphor, when two or more root expressions have the same or similar meaning. These kinds of malaphors are almost always understood by the listener because the idioms express the same thought.
It’s time to swallow the bullet
Posted: December 31, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, bullet, swallow, THINGS | Tags: bite the bullet, bitter pill, blended idioms, expressions, fiscal cliff, malaphors, mixed idioms, swallow your pride, words Leave a commentThis is a mix up of “bite the bullet” and “bitter pill to swallow”, both having similar meanings – reluctantly accepting something unpleasant. “My ol’ pal” correctly told me not to forget “swallow your pride”, which also refers to doing something you would rather not do and so is probably on the speaker’s mind as well. As we approach the fiscal cliff, I think some folks need to swallow the bullet and make those hard choices they were elected to do.
That’s the way the cookie bounces
Posted: December 30, 2012 Filed under: ball, bounce, cookie, FOOD, THINGS | Tags: ball bounces, blended idioms, Cookie, cookie crumbles, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 4 Comments
English: A Pepperidge Farm “Nantucket” cookie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a straightforward malaphor, mixing “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” and “that’s the way the ball bounces”, both meaning you can’t control everything that happens to you. It also could describe the rejects from cookie exchanges this time of year.
Get a snap on it!
Posted: December 27, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, snap | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, hurry up, malaphors, mixed idioms, snap to it, words 2 CommentsThis was uttered by my friend Dave Julian, urging his kids to hurry up. It is a mash up I think of “snap to it” and “get a move on it”, both meaning to go faster. BTW, the latter is a Northeast Ohio/Northwest PA expression – thanks to Roger Curtis for pointing this out (and my “ol pal” from Los Angeles as well!). A thank you to Dave’s wife for sending this one to me.
Eat my rubber!
Posted: December 22, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, burn, eat, rubber, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, burn rubber, chevy chase, eat my dust, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, national lampoon's christmas vacation, words Leave a comment
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This classic malaphor is spoken by Clark (Chevy Chase) in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. His son corrects him, pointing out that it is a mash up of “eat my dust” and “burn rubber”. Thanks to John Costello for contributing this famous movie malaphor to the collection.
http://movieclips.com/VYvKC-christmas-vacation-movie-eat-my-rubber/
Leave it or lump it
Posted: December 21, 2012 Filed under: ACTION | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, like it or lump it, love it or leave it, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 6 CommentsThis twisted beauty is a mash up of “love it or leave it” (be supportive of your country or leave) and “like it or lump it” (take that or none). It has nothing to do with bathroom habits (I think).
He made a split minute decision
Posted: December 20, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, minute, second, TIME, WORD BLENDS | Tags: blended idioms, conflations, expressions, last minute, malaphors, mixed idioms, split second, WORD BLENDS, words Leave a commentThis is another word blend malaphor, mixing “split second decision” (immediately) and “at the last minute” (deciding something at the last opportunity). As I get older, I seem to be making more of these kinds of decisions.
I had to bite my teeth
Posted: December 19, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, bite, BODY PARTS, tongue, tooth | Tags: bite my tongue, blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, sink my teeth into, teeth, tongue, words 5 CommentsThis common malaphor (check the hits on google!) is used when someone is wanting to say “I had to bite my tongue” (struggling to not say something you really want to say). My guess is that the speaker is also thinking of “I showed my teeth” (displaying anger) or possibly “sink your teeth into” (become deeply involved). The latter is probably more likely as the words bite and sink are four letter words and are active verbs. Also, the tongue and teeth are near each other and so this adds to the confusion. Finally, teeth bite and tongues don’t so the mind might be trying to correct itself?
Teeth of a model. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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