Trivolity

The contributor of this malaphor talks to his brother regularly, with the discussions mainly involved in exchanging bits of trivia. The brother’s wife unintentionally described the conversations as engaging in “trivolity”. This is a terrific word blend of “trivia” and “frivolity”. For some reason I also think of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which has a great “amuse”ment park.

Word blends are types of malaphors and the website and books have many examples.

Someone asked me if my word blend malaphors are actually portmanteaus. I don’t think so. The main difference is that a portmanteau is an intentional word blend while a malaphor is unintentional.  There are other differences:

A portmanteau is a combination of two (or more) words or morphemes, and their definitions, into one new word. A portmanteau word generally combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings, for instance, the term “wurly” when describing hair that is both wavy and curly.

The word “portmanteau” was first used in this context by Lewis Carroll in the book Through the Looking-Glass (1871), in which Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice the coinage of the unusual words in Jabberwocky, where “slithy” means “lithe and slimy” and “mimsy” is “flimsy and miserable”. Humpty Dumpty explains the practice of combining words in various ways by telling Alice,

‘You see it’s like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.’

My single word blend malaphors are unconscious blends of words to make an unintentional new word. The word sounds or looks correct at first blush, but then on closer examination is incorrect. Examples include “Buckminster Palace” (Buckingham and Westminster, and/or possibly Buckminster Fuller) and “split-minute decision” (split second and last minute).

A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for sharing this one!

They didn’t kick them under the table

Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Opening Bell was talking about Southwest airline stock and whether the stock had been impacted by Boeing’s issues with the 737 Max.  Cramer said Southwest and Boeing have an excellent relationship and that Southwest didn’t “kick them (Boeing) under the table” when they were having problems. This is a mashup of “kick (someone or something) to the curb” (to be discarded or dismissed due to being unwanted), “off the table” (withdrawn or no longer available) and “drink (someone) under the table” (to be able to drink more alcohol than someone else). I included both “table” idioms as “off the table” seems to fit in the context but the word “under” is present making me think Cramer was also thinking, for some reason, of the drinking idiom. A big thank you to John Hatfield Jr. for hearing this one and sending it in!

Get out from behind the safety curtain

There was a Facebook discussion about student debt and loan forgiveness. One commenter said:

“Show your employer some high quality work and let them pay for it! It is time to get out from behind the safety curtain of school and go to work! You have the education, now get the experience you desperately need—through hands on WORK!”

This is a blend of “a safety net” (collection of resources available for use in case of problems) and “behind the curtain” (in secret or concealed from public view). “Security blanket” (something that gives security and comfort) might also be in the mix, given the context. A big thanks to Dave Nemcsik for sharing this one.

I’m just sitting there twiddling my thumbs up my ass

A friend of the contributor had been out of work for over six months, and mentioned that when he’s at home and done with job applications for the day and has nothing left to do, “I’m just sitting there twiddling my thumbs up my ass.” This is a congruent conflation of “twiddling (one’s) thumbs”, “standing around with (one’s) thumb up (one’s) ass”, and “sitting on (one’s) ass”, all meaning to be idle and wasting time. A big thanks to Daniel Thomas for hearing this one and sending it in!

Pot of gold at the end of the tunnel

Brent jacquette, a former collegiate soccer player and coach, was talking about pay for college athletes. “As this makes big news, people see this pot of gold at the end of the tunnel,” Jacquette said. See the entire article here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ncaa-athletes-pay-deal-raises-141803647.html

This is a mashup of “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” (the ultimate reward after a difficult process) and “light at the end of the tunnel” (a sign that something difficult is almost at an end). A big thanks to Lou Pugliese for spotting this one and sending it in. Speaking of Lou, I want to give a big shout out to him for his recent book publication, “Blame It On the Moon”. It’s on sale NOW on Amazon! Here’s the link:

You need to think outside the envelope

This happened during a discussion regarding thinking more creatively. It is a mashup of “think outside the box” (think freely, not bound by old rules or practices) and “push the envelope” (to surpass normal limits or attempt something viewed as radical). Maybe putting an envelope in a mailbox caused the confusion? Or perhaps it is because both idioms involve a thought or action beyond the norm. In any event, this nice malaphor was sent in by Dave Nemcsik. Thanks Dave!

Tying themselves in pretzels

This beauty was heard on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Her guest was Geoff Duncan, former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, and they were talking about Republicans having a difficult time answering the question, “was the 2020 election stolen?” Duncan said Ted Cruz and others are “tying themselves in pretzels” trying to explain their answer to a simple question. Here’s the clip:

This is a conflation of “tying (someone) up in knots” (make someone anxious or confused) and “twist (yourself) into a pretzel” (go to great lengths or do anything possible). Another big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one, providing the clip (proof), and sending it in!

The sparks never clicked

Joe Scarborough said this one on Morning Joe. It’s a congruent conflation of “not clicked with (someone) and “sparks never flew”, both meaning no attraction or connection with someone or something. A tip of the toque to Mike Kovacs for hearing this malaphor and sending it in!

More than meets the surface

This one was heard on a radio ad for a CNN show, “How It Really Happened”. It is a nice congruent conflation of “more than meets the eye” and “beneath/below the surface”, both meaning deeper aspects of something, as opposed to those that are most easily identified. A shout out to Verbatim for spotting this one and sending it in!

I’m gonna follow to the letter of a T

A neighbor was discussing following directions for a project and said this nice congruent conflation of “to the letter” and “to a T”, both meaning perfectly or exactly. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and sharing it.