It’s not an air shut case
Posted: May 17, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: air-tight case, blended idioms, congruent conflations, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, open-and-shut case, words Leave a commentThis wonderful mix up was heard at a training seminar. The instructor was indicating that discrimination lawsuits are not always straightforward and then proceeded to combine “air-tight case” and “open-and-shut case”, both meaning straightforward situations without complications. The speaker may also have been thinking of air lock doors that seal out air completely, found in airplane exit doors. This is a great example of a congruent conflation, mixing two closely defined phrases. A big shout out to Bill Shaffer for sending this one in to Malaphor HQ!
We are going to keep this one in the back of our pocket
Posted: May 10, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back of our mind, blended idioms, in my back pocket, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idiom, property brothers 6 CommentsThis was spoken by one of the Property Brothers (Drew Scott), referring to a house that was a “maybe”. I believe this is a mash up of “”in the back of my mind” and “put it in my back pocket”, both meaning to keep an idea to use later. This one is subtle but nevertheless a nice mixed idiom. Hats off to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one!
Take a left
Posted: April 19, 2014 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, spinning, take a break, words Leave a commentI heard this one in spinning class today. The instructor was telling the class to lighten up after a vigorous climb. It is a mash up of “take a break” (relax) and “turn to the left” (ease the tension of the bike). This nice malaphor combines the instructor’s two thoughts in one! Oh, and it was a great class.
It added another feather to his bow
Posted: December 12, 2013 Filed under: bow, feather, Uncategorized | Tags: another string to his bow, bow, Bow and arrow, expressions, feather, feather boa, feather in his cap, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a comment
Bow, Arrows, & Quiver (Photo credit: Travis S.)
This is a mash up of “another string to his bow” (an Australian and British idiom meaning an extra skill or qualification), “another arrow to his quiver” (American version of the same), and “a feather in his cap” (an honor or award). The confusion certainly lies in the meanings of both phrases which are similar, but also that bows and arrows conjure up feathers in headdresses. Arrows also contain feathers at the ends. I can also see the speaker confusing bow with boa, and that of course leads to feather boas, a must have item in burlesque shows. Lots going on in this malaphor. Thanks to Eric Marsh for sending this one in.
I wasn’t born off the turnip truck
Posted: December 7, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, fall off the turnip truck, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, not born yesterday, turnip, words Leave a commentThis masterpiece is a blend of “wasn’t born yesterday” and “fallen off the turnip truck”, the former describing someone who is not naiive or easily fooled and the latter someone who is unsophisticated or ignorant. I think this would be a good one to say when you REALLY want to let someone know you are aware of what is going on. Or if you really were born off a turnip truck. And if that’s the case, I would always root for you. Thanks to Brad Stone for uttering this unintentional malaphor and to his wife Char for sending it in!
English: A Turnip (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s trial by error
Posted: November 27, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, Murder She Wrote, television, trial and error, trial by fire, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis might be another “freudian slip malaphor” (see “I have nothing to hide but the truth”), when considering it was spoken by a physician. This is a mash up of “trial by fire” (ability to perform under pressure) and “trial and error” (trying repeatedly for success). It’s also the title of a “Murder She Wrote” and a “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” episode. Who knew? Thanks to Barry Eigen for sending in this gem.
He was able to pick himself up and scrape himself off
Posted: November 10, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, dust yourself off, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, National Football League, pick yourself up, words Leave a commentAnother from the sports world. Molly Shafer heard this one on her local sports cast referring to a Buffalo Bills injury – “Could it be serious? It could be, but he was able to pick himself up and scrape himself off.” This is a nice blend of “pick yourself up” and “dust yourself off”, both meaning to prepare yourself to continue doing something that you unexpectedly stopped doing. “Scrape someone or something off the pavement” may also be in the mix. Thanks for sharing Molly!
He really rubs him up the wrong tree – Part 2
Posted: September 29, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, idiom origins, language, malaphors, words 3 Comments“My ol’ Pal” notes that there is a distinction between the American and the British idiom for annoying someone. As usual, she is right. The British say “he really rubs me up the wrong way”, while we in the States say “he really rubs me the wrong way”. The speaker who uttered the subject malaphor might have been British as the mix-up makes even more sense, if a mix-up can make sense. Incidentally, the origin of both phrases refers to the stroking of an animal’s fur in the wrong direction (from tail to head), causing the animal to become annoyed. My cats certainly get very irritated with me when I do that. Speaking of the Brits, they also use the phrase”rub up” to describe trying to recall something.
He’s the head kahuna
Posted: September 11, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Beach Blanket Bingo, big kahuna, BigKahuna, blended idioms, Cliff Robertson, expressions, head honcho, humor, language, malaphors, Martin Milner, mixed idioms, words 2 Comments
Sandra Dee as Gidget in the 1959 film, (VHS cover) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Elaine Hatfield said this to me in the car the other day. She immediately wrote it down so that we would remember it (sign of a good malaphor). This is a mash up of “big kahuna” and “head honcho”, both meaning the person in charge. The use of the term “big kahuna” in reference to surfing can be traced back to the 1959 film Gidget, in which “The Big Kahuna“, played by Cliff Robertson, (Martin Milner in the TV episode), was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the “Big Kahuna” was the best surfer on the beach
It’s been a long road to hoe
Posted: April 25, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, hoe, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, road, row, tough row to hoe 1 CommentThis is a mash up of “tough row to hoe” and “long road”, both meaning long, difficult situations. Row and road sound similar, adding to the confusion. I saw this one in today’s morning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“I’m very happy. It’s been a long road to hoe,” Mr. Berry, the project architect, said as he took photographs of the mostly finished product and checked for any problems that needed to be fixed.
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