This lies on their feet as well

On Morning Joe, NY Governor Kathy Hochul was talking about the Republican majority House not getting anything done and this quote was in reference to Republican intransigence on immigration issues. It is a congruent conflation of “lay (something) at (one’s) feet” and “on (one’s) shoulders)”, both meaning to hold someone responsible for something. A shout out to David Stephens who heard this one and sent it in.

Democrats could have thrown him (McCarthy) a life boat

This one was heard on the “All In with Chris Hayes” podcast. It can be heard around the 3:55 mark:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000630331463

This is a congruent conflation of “throw (someone) a lifeline” and “provide a lifeboat”, both meaning to give someone help. It seems he probably needed a boat instead of a line anyway. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

The Republicans will stew in their own nest

This one was heard from an MSNBC commentator, discussing the recent vote to oust the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. This is a mashup of “stew in (one’s) own juice (suffer the consequences of one’s action) and “foul (one’s) own nest” (to do something that causes problems for oneself). The speaker may have actually been thinking of both thoughts (causing problems for oneself and suffering the consequences of one’s action) when he mixed them together. A big thank you to Jim Pileggi for hearing this one and sending it in!

They can’t see their way out of a paper bag

This is another malaphor brought to you by Roseanne Barr. In her podcast (episode 12), she is discussing how people cannot see the truth around them. This is a mashup of “can’t find your way out of a paper bag” (describing someone who is unintelligent, incompetent, or unable to do something basic) and “can’t see the light” (can’t understand or learn to accept something). “Can’t see straight” (unable to think clearly) might also be in the mix. Another big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!

The loopholes you have to jump through

Gordon Smart, the former editor of the Scottish Sun said in the News Agents podcast on Sep. 21: “The loopholes you have to jump through” in reference to the legal challenges British journalists face when publishing potentially libellous content. The malaphor is a combo of “Jumping through hoops” (an extremely difficult process) and “loophole” (a way of bypassing the intention of the law while sticking to the letter of the law). “Loop” and “hoop” rhymes, and are also both circles, creating the mental mixup. lYou can hear this gem at 23m19s here:

 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2v1TJp7PJr9HS6BWAvk8Zy?si=ogjfV701Q66Lvj1K0KTjzA 

A tip of the toque to JB Dutton for hearing this one and sending it in.

Put that under your hat and smoke it

On her podcast, Roseanne Barr was interviewing Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) (episode 11). She was talking about a solution to find common ground on a contentious issue. This is a mashup of “keep it under your hat” (keep something secret) and “put that in your pipe and smoke it” (take decisive information or decision and live with it). Here is the podcast:

A big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!

They took their butts off the gas pedal

This weekend, a CBS college postgame host was talking about the Alabama Crimson Tide and how the team was not playing South Florida tough in the second half. He said that “they (Alabama) took their butts off the gas pedal.” Given the context, I think this is a mashup of “take (one’s) foot off the gas” (to do something with less effort and determination) and “sit on your butt” (to be idle, especially when action is needed). Both are close in meaning, as they describe less action or even inaction. Nice visual, given butts and gas.

A tip of the hat to Tom Simon for hearing this one and sending it in!

Defense has been a thorn in the Seahawks’ heel today

This one was uttered by Steve Raible, the Seattle Seahawks’ radio play by play announcer. He said this after the Rams had scored a field goal in the fourth quarter. This is a mashup of “a thorn in the side” (a constant or persistent source of annoyance) and “Achilles heel” (a weakness or vulnerable point). The mixture creates a nice expression describing a constant weakness. Thorns are apparently everywhere in the malaphor world, as I have posted previously “he’s definitely a thorn in the eye” (January 2022) and “it’s a thorn in the foot” (March 2013). https://malaphors.com/2022/01/22/hes-definitely-a-thorn-in-their-eye/ https://malaphors.com/2013/03/21/its-a-thorn-in-the-foot/

A big thank you to Lin Sewell for hearing this one and sending it in!

Moaning the blues

After the Steelers’ devastating loss, a friend said that fans will be “moaning the blues”. This is a congruent conflation of “singing the blues” and “moaning and groaning”, both meaning to complain or whine about something. A big thanks to John Kooser for unintentionally uttering this one and sending it.

This malaphor is also the title of a Hank Williams song, and here it is for your enjoyment:

Thrown under the rug

This was heard on WSB Tonight (11:00 pm news), Atlanta. A college student participant in a March for Transparency: “The Johnny Holloman story is not one that is new to the public, but it’s one that’s been thrown under the rug, so we’re trying to raise awareness…”

This is a mixture of “sweep it under the rug (or carpet)” (hide or ignore something) and “throw him under the bus” (sacrifice someone for personal gain).   It is similar to the 12/23/12 malaphor posting “brush it under the rug”.   The confusion seems to lie in action words such as sweep, brush, and throw.  Also there are “throw rugs”. And of course, many of us have thrown a few items under the rug when company came unannounced.  A big thank you to P.W. Tsuboi for hearing this one and sending it in!