That’s a whole different ball of fish
Posted: January 24, 2014 Filed under: ANIMALS, ball, fish, kettle, THINGS | Tags: ball, congruent conflation, different ball of wax, different kettle of fish, expressions, fish, humor, kettle, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, wax, words Leave a commentThis is a mix of two phrases with the same meaning – “different ball of wax” and “different kettle of fish” (completely different or not at all similar). Fish ball soup might also be in the unconscious here (see picture). This type of malaphor involving phrases with the same or similar meanings is also referred to as a congruent conflation and is usually the most commonly uttered malaphor (and usually the best). Loyal follower David Spain unintentionally blurted this one out and referred it here. Thanks David!
When all the balls are in line
Posted: January 11, 2014 Filed under: ANIMALS, ball, duck, THINGS | Tags: balls in the air, blended idioms, congruent conflations, ducks in a row, expressions, fall in line, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, stars aligned, words Leave a commentChristopher Dolan, the California lawyer who is representing the McMath family who has a brain dead daughter, said regarding litigation against the hospital, “What we needed to know is that when all the balls are in line that we could move quickly and not have to then have any impediments.” This is a mash up of “ducks in a row” and “fall in line”, both meaning to have things properly organized. “Stars aligned” might also be in the mix as that phrase also means things happen in an organized way and also line rhymes with aligned. Also “many balls in the air” might be at play since the speaker used the word balls and was referring to many things happening, although not at once. Thanks to Ron Marks for sending this one in!
http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1401/04/ndaysat.01.html
She needs to get her ducks in order
Posted: December 23, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, duck, house, PLACES | Tags: blended idioms, congruent conflation, ducks in a row, expressions, house in order, humor, language, malaphors, Matt Lauer, MegaMillions, mixed idioms, Today, words 2 Comments
Cropped headshot of Matt Lauer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Matt Lauer uttered this malaphor last week on the Today show. He said that the winner of the MegaMillions lottery “needs to get her ducks in order”, a mash up of “ducks in a row” and “house in order”, both meaning to get organized. This congruent conflation is probably commonly said, as ducks walk in an orderly fashion and also in a row, both conjuring up the same image. A big thanks to Victoria Ameel-Kovacs for sending this one in!
JFK was a duck in a barrel
Posted: November 30, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, duck, shoot | Tags: Assassination, Assassination of John F. Kennedy, blended idioms, humor, John F. Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, shooting fish in a barrel, sitting duck, words 3 Comments
Picture of President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This phrase mixes “sitting duck” (someone vulnerable to an attack) and “shooting fish in a barrel” (ridiculously easy). A big thanks to Michael Ameel for hearing this one on a radio program recently about the Kennedy assassination. An expert on the show indicated that JFK was an easy target, and blurted out this malaphor. It is similar to the 1/16/13 entry, “It’s like shooting ducks in a barrel”.
He’s a wet fish
Posted: November 12, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, fish | Tags: blended idioms, cold fish, expressions, fish, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, wet blanket, words Leave a commentThis great malaphor is a blend of”wet blanket” and “cold fish”, both reflecting rather sour personalities, the former a depressing person who spoils others’ enjoyment, and the latter a person who does not seem very friendly and shows little emotion. Fish of course are always wet (unless grilled I suppose) which may have been in the speaker’s mind as well. For some reason a dead fish handshake also seems in play here. I personally am going to start using this expression as there are people out there who fit both categories. John Costello gets the kudos for this one, as he unintentionally uttered this malaphor when he was describing a person who is kind of a dour drip. I hope it wasn’t me!
I will not yield to a monkey court
Posted: November 3, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, kangaroo, monkey | Tags: expressions, Frank Pallone, humor, Joe Barton, kangaroo court, language, malaphors, monkey business, United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, words Leave a comment
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Photo credit: Freedom To Marry)
This was uttered by Frank Pallone (D-NJ) referring to the current health care law hearings. This is a mash up of “kangaroo court” (bogus or illegal court) and “monkey business” (silly or dishonest behavior). Thanks to Mike Kovacs for sharing this one! Below is the link:
That’ll be a kettle of worms
Posted: October 12, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, ball, fish, kettle, THINGS, worms | Tags: ball of wax, can of worms, expressions, humor, kettle of fish, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words, Worm 2 Comments
Kettle of Fish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This gem is a mixture of “a fine kettle of fish” and “a can of worms”, both meaning to describe a difficult situation or problem. My guess is that the speaker was also confusing worms with fish, as worms are bait for fish. Similar malaphors at this site are “I’ve opened up a can of beans” (7/31/13 compliments of Denita) and “that’s a real ball of worms” (12/18/12, submitted by Paula Fow). Thanks to Barry Eigen who sent this one in, and added that if the speaker had only said “a fine kettle of worms”, the malaphor would have been perfect. Perfection is elusive.
Hey, nobody’s human
Posted: September 25, 2013 Filed under: human | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, nobody's perfect, only human, words, zombies 3 CommentsThis is a congruent conflation of “nobody’s perfect” and “only human”. Could be the slogan for “The Walking Dead”?
There’s no use crying over fish in the sea
Posted: August 27, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, cry, fish, milk | Tags: blended idioms, Don Draper, don't cry over spilled milk, expressions, humor, language, Mad Men, malaphors, mixed idioms, plenty of fish in the sea, television, words Leave a comment
Don Draper of Mad Men works on Madison Avenue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
That’s a horse of a different story
Posted: August 12, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, horse | Tags: another story, blended idioms, expressions, horse of a different color, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis is a blend of “a horse of a different color” (an entirely different matter) and “that’s another (or different) story” (an explanation to give at some other time). A big thanks to Robyn Pietrucha who heard this malaphor spoken in the 1934 comedy short, “The Chases of Pimple Street”, starring Charley Chase. The movie is a spoof of the 1934 classic, “The Barretts of Wimpole Street”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Chase
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