Kevin McCarthy kisses the brass ring

This one was heard on Morning Joe this morning so wanted to post it right away. Joe Scarborough was talking about Kevin McCarthy criticizing Trump over the January 6 insurrection, but then goes down to Mar-a-Lago and “kisses the brass ring”. This is a conflation of “kiss (soneone’s) ring” (to express one’s respect or fealty to someone) and “grab the brass ring” (a chance to achieve wealth or success). A big shout out to Mike Kovacs and Sam Edelmann who both heard this one and sent it in immediately.

Throw it up the flagpole and see what sticks

This nice mixup was tossed out when suggesting a consensus on what movie to watch. It is a congruent conflation of “run it up the flagpole” and “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks”, both meaning to present an idea or ideas and see what the reaction or outcome will be. Perhaps the speaker was thinking ot that scene in “A Christmas Story” where the kid gets his tongue stuck on the pole. A tip of the hat to Lou Pugliese who heard this and sent it in!

I have it on the tip of my mind

Bill Maher was talking to Rep. Ro Khanna regarding strategies for the Democrats on his show, “Real Time with Bill Maher”. Discussing the issue of the economy, Maher blurted out this nice conflation of “on the tip of (one’s) tongue” (almost able to be recalled) and “on (one’s) mind” (occupying one’s thoughts). This one is similar to an earlier post, “I have it on the tip of my hand”. https://malaphors.com/2012/08/20/i-have-it-on-the-tip-of-my-hand/

A big thank you to Mike Kovacs and Robyn Bottoni for both hearing this one and sending it in within hours of each other.

At least you’re not chasing every rabbit hole that may come up

This one was heard at a Continuing Legal Education course on employment discrimination investigations. The speaker was advising viewers to narrow the scope at the outset. I think this is a mashup of “going down a rabbit hole” (to enter into a problematic, difficult, or chaotic area) and “a wild goose chase” (a prolonged or chaotic search for something that is difficult to find). Both idioms involve difficult or chaotic situations, and they also both have animal references. Then again, the speaker may have been a fan of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny! A big thanks to John Costello for hearing this malaphor and sending it in.

We’re all singing from the same page

On CNN’s YouTube Channel in a segment entitled, “Doctor Responds to Journalist’s Covid Restriction Comments” the former FDA commissioner, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, states (at 5:20) that ending restrictions “…is easier to do when we’re all singing from the same page here.” Here is the link:

This is congruent conflation of “singing the same tune” and “on the same page”, both meaning to have the same understanding of something or someone else. “Singing from the same hymnbook” was also probably in his thoughts, with “page” getting confused with “book”. Dr. Reiner probably had in mind a chorus singing from hymn books. A big thanks to Torre Thompson for hearing this one and sending it in!

Turnkey ready

The phrase “turnkey ready” is said often on HGTV. By definition, “turnkey” means completely finished and ready to use (or to move in). “Turnkey ready” therefore is redundant, but it is also a congruent conflation of “turnkey” and “move-in ready”, both meaning a home ready to be occupied. A big thanks to Fandango for submitting this one.

They won by the hair of their skinny teeth teeth

Al Michaels said this one last night at the end of the Tampa Bay Bucs/Los Angeles Rams playoff football game, where the Rams won by a field goal after blowing a 24 point lead. Mr. Michaels conflated “by the skin of their teeth” (just barely, narrowly) and “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” (outright refusal to allow something). He may also have been thinking of “by a hair” (won just barely) as that certainly fits the context. Skin and chin rhyme, and teeth, skin, and chin are all in the same general vicinity, hence the mix up I suppose.  I posted a variation of this one a few years ago, also uttered at a sporting event. See https://malaphors.com/2016/05/17/they-won-by-the-skin-of-their-chinny-chin-chin/

Here is the video of Mr. Michaels’ great malaphor:

https://news.yahoo.com/rams-blow-24-point-lead-000911821.html

A big thank you to Ron MacDonald for hearing this one and sending it in immediately (a few people also sent this one in but a day later….:-(

He’s definitely a thorn in their eye

On 60 Minutes, Chinese activist Jhou Fengsou was talking about the Chinese artist and dissident, Badiucao, and how he is, like “Tank Man” in Tianenman Square, an irritant to the Chinese Communist Party:

Zhou Fengsuo: Yeah, that’s the spirit of ‘Tank Man,’ the person versus totalitarian nation. He’s definitely a thorn in their eye.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/badiucao-60-minutes-2021-12-26/

This is a mashup of “thorn in (one’s) side” (a constant or persistent cause of annoyance) and “stick (poke) a thumb (finger) in the eye” (to provoke or taunt). “Side” and “eye” have similar sounds, and the two expressions are close in meaning as they both refer to annoying someone. A big thanks to Jim Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in!

I’d like to throw something out of the box

Another good one heard on a conference call. The contributor’s boss uttered this nice mashup of “throw out” (offer a suggestion) and “think outside the box” (to think freely). Both idioms involve the act of brainstorming, so it is natural that the speaker had a little storm brewing in his brain when he said this one. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and passing it on.

I have a memory like a steel trap

This was uttered by the contributor’s mom, probably during a hard fought game of Scrabble. It is a mashup of “memory like an elephant” (exceptional memory) and “mind like a steel trap” (able to understand or grasp information quickly). Depending on the context, she may have been mixing “memory/mind like a sieve” (poor memory) as an incongruent conflation with a steel trap. A shout out to Sandor Kovacs for hearing this one and passing it on!