The white elephant in the room
Posted: September 6, 2012 Filed under: ANIMALS, COLORS, PLACES | Tags: blended idioms, elephant, elephant in the room, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, white elephant, words 2 CommentsThis little ditty was spoken at a meeting last week all the way from Afghanistan. It is a mash up of “elephant in the room” (obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed) and “white elephant” (a burdensome possession whose costs outweigh its value). The crackerjack research team at Malaphors HQ (my “ol’ pal”) tells me there are few, if any, elephants in Afghanistan, much less white elephants. Tip of the toque to Jim Washabaugh, loyal malaphor follower, for sending me this gem.
He’s feathering his own pockets
Posted: September 2, 2012 Filed under: ANIMALS, CLOTHING | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, feather, malaphors, mixed idioms, nest, pockets, words Leave a commentThis is a mixture of “feathering your own nest” and “lining your pockets”, both sayings meaning making lots of money, sometimes illegally, at the expense of others or disregard for others. This malaphor might be an improvement over both sayings.
He has a punch like a mule
Posted: August 21, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, kick, malaphors, mixed idioms, mule, punch, words Leave a commentThe speaker meant to say “kick like a mule” (kick very hard) so we know this is one phrase in the mash-up, but what was she thinking when she said “punch”? “Punched out” comes to mind, but also “punch like a girl” (soft hitting) also could have been in the subconscious, particularly since the words “girl” and “mule” are both four letters long and end with the L sound. All I know is when I heard it something just didn’t sound right, a true endorsement for a good malaphor.
That really burns my goat!
Posted: August 13, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS | Tags: blended idioms, burn, expressions, goat, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentIt appears this is a mash up of “gets my goat’ (annoys me) and “burns me up” (makes me mad). Both idioms have similar meanings and are both three sentences long. I can guarantee that no animals were hurt or killed in the course of using this malaphor.
All your eggs lined up
Posted: July 25, 2012 Filed under: ANIMALS, FOOD, PLACES | Tags: ducks, eggs, expressions, malaphor, mixed idiom, scrambled eggs, words 4 CommentsThis is a mix-up of “lining up your ducks in a row” and “all your eggs in one basket”. Since ducks lay eggs, does the mind want to “scramble” eggs and ducks?
He smokes like a fish
Posted: July 10, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, ANIMALS, fish, smoke 1 Comment
“The Master” sputtered this observation during a heated bowling match, and after several gin and tonics. It is a brilliant malaphor, mixing two common idioms – smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish – with the ingenious result of smoked fish.
Never count your eggs before they hatch
Posted: July 9, 2012 Filed under: ANIMALS, chicken, eggs, FOOD 1 Comment
English: easter eggs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A mix of never count your chickens before they hatch and all your eggs in one basket. Seems that the brain connects eggs with chickens and then the jumbled mess pours out of the mouth. I heard this one from one of my work colleagues, who I will refer to in the future as “the master”.
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