He’s feathering his own bed
Posted: September 19, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, PLACES, THINGS | Tags: avarice, blended idioms, expressions, feather your own nest, greed, make your own bed, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentA mash up of “feathering your own nest” (looking after your own interests, particularly material ones) and “make your own bed” (to be the cause of one’s own misery). This is an interesting malaphor, as it combines an expression of greed with one that indicates a person must deal with his/her own actions – in this case, avarice. As a result, I like this one better than “feathering his own pockets” (see blog entry 9/2/12)), a combo of two similar meaning idioms. The speaker may also have been thinking down or feathered pillows/bed when he uttered this confused expression. See also topic #11 in the Malaphors in the Media page on this website for a quote using this malaphor.
He said it off the top of his cuff
Posted: September 16, 2012 Filed under: BODY PARTS, CLOTHING, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, off the cuff, off the top of his head, words Leave a commentThis is one from “the master”, and it shows. Subtle and brilliant, it is a mash up of two similar meaning idioms – “off the cuff” (speaking spontaneously without rehearsal) and “off the top of his head” (saying something without thinking about it first). Combining these two idioms into one shows “the master’s” continued economical use of the English language.
The project is going to pot in a handbasket
Posted: September 15, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, handbasket, hell in a handbasket, malaphors, mixed idioms, pot, words 1 CommentThis is a mash up of two similar meaning idioms – “going to pot” (declining or getting worse) and “going to hell in a handbasket” (a situation quickly headed to disaster). My guess is that the speaker did not want to say the word “hell” and so “pot” came to mind. Moreover, my notes indicate this phrase was spoken in the 70s, so it is possible that the speaker indeed had “pot” on his mind….
Let’s do it and listen to how the shoe pinches
Posted: September 14, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, CLOTHING, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, pinches, shoe, words 2 CommentsThis one is a little far-fetched for my taste, but it needs to be posted nonetheless. This is a mix up of “if the shoe fits” (an unflattering remark that is true so should be accepted) and probably “feel the pinch” (having less money), although the speaker may have just been thinking about ill-fitted shoes that pinch the toes and feet. Any other suggestions on this one would be appreciated.
They were raking him over the ropes
Posted: September 4, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, raking over the coals, ropes, words Leave a commentThis is a mash up of “raking over the coals” (reprimand severely) and “on the ropes” (about to or likely to fail). While both phrases have different meanings, they both describe a bad situation for someone. Also coals and ropes are four letter words and both have the same vowel sounds (assonance) which could have led to the confusion.
You hit it right on the nail
Posted: August 29, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, nail, words 1 CommentI heard this one at a meeting last night. The speaker, a flashy guy in his early 30s or late 20s, was probably mixing “you hit the nail on the head”(got something exactly right) with “you got that right”. It is also possible that he was thinking “right on” when he was speaking but that expression is more familiar to my generation. Malaphors are instantly recognizable but quickly forgotten, so a big “thank you” to my friend Mike (who was sitting next to me) for writing this one down at that moment.
Let’s draw hats
Posted: August 28, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, CLOTHING, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, draw straws, expressions, hats, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentMy workplace held an annual golf tournament. One year we had some late entries creating some uneven teams. It was uncertain how we would create the late foursomes. “The Master” immediately blurted out, “let’s draw hats!” Most of the folks in the room did not blink an eye and immediately understood what he suggested, but I quickly jotted down the malaphor masterpiece. This mash-up involves the phrases “draw straws” and “pick names out of a hat” (both methods to pick teams).
Drawing Straws (Photo credit: lucianvenutian)
Sitting on their hands and needles
Posted: August 27, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, pins and needles, portmanteau, words Leave a commentOne of my all time favorites, this little ditty was spoken by “the master” in response to a group of employees’ anxiety awaiting the announcement of several promotions. Why is this a thing of beauty? He mixes “sitting on their hands” (procrastinating or delaying) with “on pins and needles” (anxiously awaiting an outcome), which simultaneously describes the employees’ jobs (sedentary as they were paralegals) with their emotional state. This compression of two phrases into a better phrase reminds my “ol pal” of Lewis Carroll’s use of “Portmanteau words” where two words are mashed together to form a new & better word like “chortle” (chuckle & snort) or “frumuous” (fuming & furious).
Throw it out of the woodwork
Posted: August 23, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, PLACES, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, crawl, expressions, malaphors, mixed idioms, woodwork, words Leave a commentI had to enlist my “ol’ pal” to sort this one out. She states that “crawled out of the woodwork” means something hidden came to light unexpectedly (like a cockroach or anything/anyone unwelcome). “Thrown out for discussion” represents ideas that have to be considered by the group before a decision can be reached. “Throw it out of the woodwork” seems to indicate forcing something hidden into the light of day, something that must be revealed. I think she has hit the nail on the jackpot with this one.
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