Some are riding the fence
Posted: September 20, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, riding it out, sitting on the fence, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis well-crafted mixed idiom appeared in the Washington Post. The author, Callum Borchers, was discussing the issue of where Republicans who are seeking office stand on supporting Donald Trump. “In future elections, Republicans seeking office will have to answer an important question: Where did you stand on Donald Trump? Some seem acutely aware of this looming litmus test and are riding the fence.”
This is a mash up of “sitting on the fence” (not taking sides in a dispute) and “riding it out” (continue working through something unpleasant or dangerous). The author might also have been thinking of “riding the pine” (in sports, to remain sitting on the bench), as it involves sitting. In researching this curious malaphor, I found that the idiom actually is used in St. Maarten. On that beautiful island, the airport is situated right off the beach. Tourists hold onto a fence as the planes take off and land just feet above them, hence the expression “riding the fence.”
A tip of the hat to frequent malaphor contributor John Costello for spotting this one and sending it on!
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I’m going to move out and fly the nest
Posted: September 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, fly the coop, humor, language, leave the nest, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentThis one seems appropriate for this time of year when kids are leaving for college. That’s exactly what led to this nice malaphor uttered by a smart and talented young lady leaving for college. It is a conflation of “fly the coop” (to escape or to get away) and “leave the nest” (to leave your parents’ house and live independently). Both phrases involve leaving from somewhere, and coops are where chickens live and have nests, hence the confusion of coops and nests. A big thanks to Marianne Julian for hearing this one from her daughter and passing it on!
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He is getting paid under the pocket
Posted: September 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, lining one's pockets, malaphor, malaphors, out of pocket, pocket money, pocket pool, under the table, words 1 CommentThis malaphor is a mash up of “getting paid under the table” (money paid secretly and illegally) and perhaps “out of pocket” (lacking money) because it refers to money. However, there might be other idioms at play here. “Lining one’s own pockets” might be in the mix, as it means making money for oneself in a greedy or dishonest fashion. Certainly money under the table is taken dishonestly. “Money burns a hole in one’s pocket” could also be in the speaker’s mind, as it refers to someone who spends money as soon as it is earned. Then there is “pocket money” (cash for incidental expenses) again referring to finances. Actually, there are a lot of phrases involving pockets that refer to money. The speaker might also have been thinking of a game of pool, which involves a table and pockets. And that gets me to the phrase “pocket pool”, which I will refrain from defining as this is a G rated website (at least sometimes). Kudos to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
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Can someone help us without going through all these hoops and whistles?
Posted: September 11, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bells and whistles, expressions, humor, jumping through hoops, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentIt’s hard to keep track these days of all those bells, hoops, whistles, and hurdles. This gem was written in an email expressing frustration. It is a mash up of “jumping through hoops” (having to do extra things in order to do something you want) and “bells and whistles” (fancy add-ons or gadgets). Both phrases refer to “extra things” which I think is the cause of the conflation. Also, perhaps the writer had an image of a dog jumping through a hoop, and being trained by a whistle? A tip of the hat to Paula Fow Atchison, who saw this one and passed it on.
I am free as a bell
Posted: September 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clear as a bell, expressions, free as a bird, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentWith a gala postponed, her calendar was suddenly empty. When her friend asked if she was available on a certain date, the speaker uttered this nice malaphor. This is a conflation of “free as a bird” (completely free to do anything without any worries) and “clear as a bell” (very clear). The similar sounding and looking words “bell” and “bird” no doubt caused the confusion. A shout out to Susan Ivison for saying this one and passing it on!
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He’s a man without an island
Posted: September 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, man without a country, no man is an island, words 2 CommentsTwo buddies at dinner were discussing a young major-league baseball player who was being sent down to the AAA team and refused to report to minor league city as a protest for being demoted. Considering that the player now had no team to play for now and that the team was going to drop him as a result, he was referred to as “a man without an island”. This is a nice mash up of “man without a country” (expatriate or exile) and “no man is an island” (human beings necessarily depend on one another). A big thanks from the malaphor skipper to my little buddy Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and passing it on!
I’m on top of the moon!
Posted: September 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Olympics, over the moon, Rio, top of the world, Usain Bolt, words 1 Comment
We’re treading on dangerous waters here
Posted: September 2, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on shaky ground, treading lightly, venturing into uncharted waters, words Leave a commentThis was said in a pretrial conference in response to an unusual procedural request from the opposition. It is a nice mash up of “on dangerous (shaky) ground” (a proposal on an unstable or questionable foundation), “treading lightly (or carefully)” (cautious), and “venturing in uncharted waters” (going into unfamiliar or unclear situations). The latter seems particularly in the speaker’s mind considering the context. This malaphor is very similar to a recent one I posted: “I’m treading in uncharted waters”. https://malaphors.com/2016/08/03/im-treading-in-uncharted-waters/
A tip of the gavel to Tom Justice who heard this one and passed it on!
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Students going there are going to have a huge foot up on everybody else
Posted: August 31, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, getting a leg up on someone, getting off on the right foot, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, putting your best foot forward, words 1 CommentDon’t get your panties in an uproar
Posted: August 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: don't get your bowels in an uproar, don't get your panties in a twist, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Todd Christie, words 3 CommentsSage advice, and a nice mash up of “don’t get your bowels in an uproar” (don’t get excited) and “don’t get your panties (knickers) in a twist (bunch)” (don’t get upset over a trivial matter). Both idioms are very close in meaning, and both involve the lower extremity area (panties and bowels). They also both have the words “don’t get” and “in a”, adding to the confusion. This one is very close to a malaphor I posted in January 2015, “don’t get your panties in a ringer”, written by Todd Christie, brother of Chris Christie, in a Facebook comment, reacting to people commenting on the Governor celebrating the Dallas Cowboys playoff win with Jerry Jones in his box suite. See https://malaphors.com/2015/01/10/dont-get-your-panties-in-a-ringer/. And of course this one is similar to one of my all time favorites posted in 2012 – “don’t get your nose in an uproar”. https://malaphors.com/2012/08/31/dont-get-your-nose-in-an-uproar/
A big thanks to Donna Cosentino for writing this one on a Facebook comment and Rachel Schwemmer for spotting it!
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