I don’t envy your shoes

This was heard in a conversation and uttered by someone from Guatemala. While there may be a translation issue here, it is nevertheless a nice mashup of “envy someone for someone or something” (regard one with jealousy for something one has) and “in someone else’s shoes” (to experience something from someone else’s point of view). But then again, maybe he just didn’t like the person’s shoes. A big thanks to Buzz McClain for hearing this one and sending it in!

People who don’t have a horse in the ring

Piers Morgan was interviewing Jay Leno, and they were discussing the January 6 insurrection. Morgan mentioned that “people who don’t have a horse in the ring” and look objectively at a candidate refusing to concede would generally react negatively to that candidate. Here is the interview (malaphor at 10:40):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkoBcVLUw8

This is a mashup of “don’t have a horse in this race” (no vested interest in the outcome) and “throw your hat in the ring” (enter a contest or take on a challenge). The speaker may have been thinking of horses racing around a ring track. A big thanks to Skip Kennedy for hearing this one and sending it in!

We’re not going to kick our feet off the pedal

Scott Pressler, an American conservative activist working for the Trump campaign, was interviewed by talk radio host Dan Bongino. Pressler was talking about working very hard to help register voters, when he uttered this malaphor. It’s a congruent conflation of “kick back” and “take (one’s) foot off the pedal”, both meaning to relax and slow down. A big thank you to Verbatim for spotting yet another malaphor and sending it in!

Top Malaphor Contributors

This website could not function without the numerous Malaphor contibutions I receive on a regular basis from all over the world. Therefore, it was long overdue that I gave a shout out to the top contributors. I have posted hundreds, and perhaps over a thousand malaphors since July 2012, when the website started. Here then (drum roll) is the list of the top 25 contributors and the number of malaphors published by each as of July 11, 2024:

1. Frank King 133
2. Mike Kovacs 130
3. Barry Eigen 56
4. John Kooser 53
5. Martin Pietrucha 48
6. Sam Edelmann 47
7. Yvonne Stam 34
8. John Costello 33
9. Steve Grieme 32
10. Bruce Ryan 30
11. Verbatim 29
12. Beatrice Zablocki 22
13. Jim Kozlowski 21
14. Lou Pugliese 18
15. Tom Justice 17
16. Ron MacDonald 16
17. David Barnes 14
18. Mike Ameel 13
19. Katie Norwood (tie) 13
20. Anthony Kovacs (tie) 13
21. Kevin Hatfield 12
22. Dan Geier 11
23. David Stephens (tie) 11
24. Jack Chandler 10
25. Marcia Johnston(tie) 10
26. Linda Bernstein 9

Frank and Mike are in a class by themselves. Many thanks to everyone who not only send in potential malaphors but also are loyal followers of the website. You are the top of the notch!

This one is a snake in cheap clothing

The speaker was very angry at an adversary (another attorney) and told her husband that the attorney was smarmy. Her husband then said many of them are, and her response was, “Well, this one is a snake in cheap clothing!” This is a congruent conflation of “a snake” and “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, both describing a treacherous or deceitful person. “Cheap” rhymes with “sheep” which may have been in the speaker’s mind. Also “all over someone like a cheap suit” (crowding someone in a flirtatious way) might be in the mix. A big thanks to Marykathryn Kopec for this one!

Like a lamb to the buzzsaw

The contributor was watching the Trump/Biden debate and his brother-in-law was commenting on Biden’s poor performance, uttering this mashup of “like a lamb/lambs to the slaughter” (to do something without concern of the dangers ahead) and “walking/running into a buzz saw” (encounter a dangerous situation). Good description. A shout out to loyal Malaphor follower and major contributor Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

As the political season heats up, so do the malaphors. Check out my book Things Are Not Rosy-Dory: Malaphors from Politicians and Pundits, a collection of past malaphors uttered by both parties and by all those talking political heads out there! It’s on Amazon for a cheap $8.99! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C7GGMG5?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Pull out all the punches

A friend of the contributor was telling him that he needed to put in his full effort to get a promotion. This is a mashup of “pull out all the stops” (to do something with maximum effort or ability) and “not pulling any punches” (act without restraint or limitations). “Pull” is the operative word here. “Beat to the punch” might also be in the mix. This one reminds me of another posted malaphor, “he doesn’t hold any punches”. https://malaphors.com/2022/10/01/he-doesnt-hold-any-punches/ Another tip of the hat to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

Another bite at the oyster

The contributor was talking about working all day, and needing to finish up one more task. This is a mashup of “another bite at the apple” (additional opportunity) and “the world is your oyster” (can do or have anything in life). Knowing the contributor, my guess is that he was thinking of the Three Stooges routine where Curly has a bowl of oyster stew (see video below). A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for unintentionally saying this one and sending it in.

https://youtu.be/sN1eNKGbbXY

How far down the Rubicon they have gone

This one was heard on the talk radio program, the “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show”. They were discussing how some political commentators are starting to speak histrionically as we approach the upcoming election. This is a mashup of “down the rabbit hole” (in a situation or journey that is particularly problematic or chaotic) and “crossing the Rubicon” (passing a point of no return). The Rubicon is a river in Italy so one can very well go “down” it, but Julius Caesar crossing it in 49 BC precipitated Caesar’s Civil War. A big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!

Pouring bullets

The contributor and his girlfriend were walking outside on an extremely hot day. The girlfriend noticed the contributor sweating profusely and uttered this nice conflation of “pouring buckets” (raining very heavily), “sweating bullets” (very nervous) and “sweating buckets” (sweating heavily). Bullets and buckets are similar sounding, contributing to the mashup. A big thanks to Anthony Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!