New York Times reporter Luke Broadwater was on the Fresh Air podcast talking about the 2020 election and the J6 committee. He was saying that there was a lot of pressure put on state election officials to overturn the election but that they “stood the line”. This is a congruent conflation of “hold the line” and “stand firm”, both meaning to not yield to the pressure of a difficult position. A big thank you to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
Ping Pong has its paddles, and Tennis has its racquets. The popular sport that is a mashup of those two sports is Pickleball, and I was telling my teammates that I received a new Pickleball raddle for Christmas. I immediately was called out for a word blend malaphor, mixing paddle and racquet. Why not call it a raddle? A big thanks to Staci DeKunder and Teri Gruber for spotting the mental mixup.
Heidi Pryzblya said this one on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner show last night. She was talking about the new majority House Republicans and that they are “kicking up a lot of smoke”. Given the context, I believe this is a mashup of “kicking up some dust” (making a big disturbance or great show of anger, especially by complaining, arguing, fighting), and “blowing smoke” (to deceive or grossly exaggerate). Dust and smoke might be mixed in the speaker’s mind. Also, “kicking up a fuss/row/storm” (causing a disturbance by complaining or arguing) might be involved. Is it possible to complain and lie at the same time? Seems common these days. A tip of the toque to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in!
It’s now time to reveal this year’s Malaphor of the Year. But before I unveil this masterpiece, here are the winners of past years:
2015 – I have a pulse to the ground (submitted by Paula Garrety)
2016 – Let’s give them a round of hand! (submitted by Martin Pietrucha)
2017 – Welcome to my shoes (submitted by Steve Kovacs)
2018 – Whatever turns your boat (submitted by John Kooser)
2019 – My old car shit the bucket (submitted by John Fischer)
2020 – You’re a one-horse pony (submitted by Bruce Ryan and Ron MacDonald)
2021 – The new President says he wants to turn over a new page (submitted by Frank King)
Before I reveal the winner, I want to give a shout out to the runners-up:
They won by the hair of their skinny teeth teeth (January 2022 – submitted by Ron MacDonald). A nationally televised mashup compliments of Al Michaels during an NFL playoff game.
I wouldn’t trust her with a 10 foot pole (March 2022 – submitted by Frank King). Sometimes it’s just a word or two.
Wegners (August 2022 – submitted by me). A great word blend malaphor uttered by Dr. Oz of two grocery chains, Wegman’s and Redner’s.
He’s a one-trick wonder (September 2022 – submitted by Jonathan Eliot). A nice mix of one-trick pony and one-hit wonder.
But the winner this year is backseat quarterback, submitted by Chuck Hatsis (January 2022). Chuck was telling his wife that he knows she doesn’t like him to be a “backseat quarterback”. This is a congruent conflation of “backseat driver” and “armchair quarterback”, both referring to someone who is eager to give advice without responsibility. A chair has a seat so this might have contributed to the mental hiccup. This also might be a nice description of all those QBs who sit on the sidelines waiting for the starter to leave the game.
This one comes from The Daily from the New York Times (Thursday December 15) about the Russian military mobilization earlier this year. Sabrina Tavernise said “let’s set the table here”. I believe based on the context she meant to say “set the scene” (establish the setting or describe something so that others can understand it) and mixed it with “on the table” (up for discussion). A big thanks to Yvonne Stam for hearing this one and sending it in!
Los Angeles Times legal correspondent Harry Litman tweeted: “Wow. DOJ wants to hold Trump in contempt for violation of subpoena. A natural outgrowth of the trickling out of documents and failure to comply with subpoena from last May. But quite a strike across the bow.” This is a mashup of “shot across the bow” (a verbal or physical attack meant to serve as a warning) and perhaps “strike a blow” (to do something that contributes to another’s defeat). Bow and blow are similar looking words. Also a “strike across the face” (invitation to a duel) could be in play.
A shout out to Yvonne Stam for spotting this one and sending it in.
This was said last Sunday by Alaina Beverly on the MSNBC show, Ayman. She was talking about the January 6 Committee criminal referrals to the Department of Justice. This is a body part mashup of “put (one’s) thumb on the scale” (to manipulate a situation to gain advantage) and “(one’s) finger on the pulse” (a keen awareness of current trends). A tip of the hat to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and sharing it!
This one was heard on the news, relating to the murders in Idaho. A resident being interviewed said, “everyone is on eggshells”. This is a congruent conflation of “everyone is walking on eggshells” and “everyone is on edge”, both referring to everyone acting with great care in a nervous situation. This one is similar to others I have posted in the past, including “walking on eggs and needles”, and “walking on pins and needles”. A big thanks to Vicki Ameel-Kovacs for hearing this one and Mike Kovacs for sending it in.
During halftime on a Monday Night football game, a public service announcement was made regarding NFL community service. A voiceover said “to see the world from someone else’s shoes”. This is a congruent conflation of “walk in someone else’s shoes” and “see the world through someone else’s eyes”, both meaning to understand another’s experience or perspective. Not sure one would get much of a perspective seeing from another’s shoes. A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in!
This one was found in an article by Joseph Goodman on AL.com, discussing the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) new football coach hire:
“Former UAB coach Bill Clark retired suddenly before the 2022 season. It left the program he built from scratch in a bizarre and vulnerable place before the move to the American Athletic Conference. UAB needed badly to flex the needle with its next football coach, and this intriguing gambit does exactly that.”
This is a mashup of “move the needle” (to cause a noticeable change in something” and “flex (one’s) muscle(s)” (to demonstrate one’s influence or power). Flexing a needle could be dangerous. A shout out to David Stephens for spotting this one and sending it in.
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