This is a rare, triple malaphor, mashing up “through the wringer” (been through a series of difficult or unpleasant experiences), “rocky road” (difficult journey), and “school of hard knocks” (real and practical experiences of life, usually unpleasant). Almost a triple congruent conflation as all the idioms refer to unpleasant or difficult times. Certainly this describes the Johnson family. A big thank you to Linda Bernstein for spotting this timely one (Super Bowl this weekend) and sending it in!
I have posted this malaphor before when Alex Rodriguez said it (https://malaphors.com/2013/08/07/i-think-thats-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room/) but it’s too good not to share a second time. This time it was uttered by New York City Mayor Eric Adams in an interview with Don Lemon on CNN. The discussion was about what happened with Tyre Nichols:
Lemon: Much has been made about the officers, all of them being Black. You’ve said that diversifying police departments would allow us, and this is a quote, “Allow us to have the level of policing we all deserve.” These five officers, all Black, is there an entrenched police culture of aggression towards Black people?
Mayor Adams: Well, clearly we could not ignore the ethnicity of the officers that are involved. That is the pink elephant in the room. And people talked about that. And when we want to diversify departments, it’s not only African American. We have increased the number of members from the AAPI community, Spanish speaking officers, Muslim officers. The role was to ensure that you diversify departments, so the officers are coming from the communities that they represented and that grew up in those communities. Those officers, I believe, betrayed that when all of us attempted to diversify departments. But we’re going to stay focused. We’re going to keep moving forward. Diversity still is the key. We saw that in here in New York City and we are going to stay on that road, but there was a personal feeling of betrayal when I witnessed that video. https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/078-23/transcript-mayor-eric-adams-appears-live-cnn-s-cnn-this-morning-
This is a mash up of “elephant in the room” (obvious problem no one wants to discuss) and “seeing pink elephants” (recovering from an alcoholic bout). See also entries “the white elephant in the room” (Sept 6, 2012), “the 800 pound gorilla in the room” (Nov 15, 2012), and “memory like a hawk” (Nov 17, 2012). Elephant malaphors apparently come in all shapes and colors.
A big thanks to Verbatim for spotting this one and sending it in.
Lots of malaphors on HGTV. This one was heard on the show “Rico to the Rescue”, Season 1, Episode 1 at 28:00. He was referring to stopping a problem quickly. This is a conflation of “nip it in the bud” (stop a problem) and “kick butt” (move something forward). One might say this is just a malaprop (butt for bud) or even an eggcorn, but I think in this context it is a bona fide malaphor. A big thank you to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and sending it in.
During an NBA game between the Washington Wizards and the San Antonio Spurs, commentator Drew Gooden said to the play by play announcer, “You just said something that struck my attention.” This is a mash up of “struck me” (a thought affected someone in a particular way) and “caught my attention” (something attracted one’s attention). This malaphor is a Gooden. A big thanks to Jane Ryan for hearing this one and Bruce Ryan for sending it in.
Chris Hayes on his podcast, “All In with Chris Hayes”, said this mixup at the 23:25 mark when he was discussing Ruben Gallego’s bid for the Arizona senator seat currently occupied by Krysten Sinema:
This is a congruent conflation of “walk a tightrope” and “handle a delicate situation”, both referring to doing something very carefully. Another shout out to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!
This one was said on CNN’s “Out Front with Erin Burnett” by Darrin Porcher, former NYPD lieutenant, about the 5 officers whose excessive behavior caused Tyre Nichols’s death. It is a congruent conflation of “over the edge” and “off the deep end”, both meaning to act irrationally or out of control. Both phrases describe a precipice, hence the confusion. Also the words “off” and “over” are similar in sound and shape. I think “edge” and “end” also contribute to the mental hiccup. A big thanks to Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and sending it in.
This one was said on the show 20/20 by an investigator on the murder of Kelly Clayton. He was referring to a statement made by Michael Beard describing his involvement in the matter. This is a nice congruent conflation of “go off the rails” and “fall apart”, both meaning something starting to go wrong or going into disorder. Then again, maybe he was thinking “falling off the wagon” (return to drinking after a period of sobriety).
This one was heard on the show “48 Hours” (January 14th episode). The sister-in-law of a murder victim was referring to the lifestyle that the victim had been drawn into by the accused, his girlfriend (recording adult videos). This is a mashup of “pay the price” (to experience the consequences of one’s misdeeds) and “take a/its toll” (to have a cumulative negative effect on someone or something). The speaker’s likely experience of paying tolls on the highway may have contributed to the mental confusion. The malaphor is uttered at the 23:56 mark.
On “The Beat with Ari Melber”, Melber begins the show by saying that Senator Ron Johnson is “under heat” for his involvement in the January 6 coup attempt. Here is the link:
This is a congruent conflation of “under fire” and “feeling/taking the heat”, both describing a person who is receiving criticism or hostility. At least Melber didn’t describe Johnson as “in heat”. A big thank you to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in. Frank is a malaphor regular!
Daniel Goldman (D – NY) was on the Lawrence O’Donnell show (MSNBC) and was talking about the new GOP-led House Judiciary Committee. He started to say “stick a cog” but then uttered fork. This is a triple mashup of “stick a fork in it” (cease whatever is happening or being said), “wheels of justice turn slowly” (justice is slow but will come eventually), and “cog in the wheel” (someone who is functionally necessary but of small significance).
A tip of the hat to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
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