2024 Malaphor of the Year!!
Posted: December 29, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, idioms, language, malaphor of the year, malaphors, mixed idioms, words, writing 2 CommentsIt’s that time again and I know everyone has been anticipating this moment. It is 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)
2022 – Backseat Quarterback (submitted by Chuck Hatsis)
2023 – His cards of lies are about to crumble (submitted by Mike Kovacs)
Before I reveal the winner, I want to give a shout out to the runners-up:
#5 Tying themselves in pretzels (May 2024 – submitted by Mike Kovacs). This conflation of “tying”, “twisting”, “knots”, and “pretzels” is a malaphor masterpiece.
#4 He’s a wet toast (December 2024 – submitted by Bruce Ryan). A beautifully descriptive mashup.
#3 They’re like a fish up a tree (February 2024 – submitted by Martin Pietrucha). This conflation describing professional soccer players attempting to play with both legs is a perfect description, improving the underlying idioms..
#2 I’m gonna want to pick your ear on this (September 2024 – submitted by Andy Jacobs). A beautiful visual and conflation had to be my runner-up of the year.
But the winner this year is She was giving me the cold finger, submitted by Jim Weil (September 2024). This new conflated phrase might be the ultimate snub. It is a mashup of “give (one) the finger” (to treat one poorly or display contempt for someone) and “give someone the cold shoulder” (to snub someone).
Happy New Year everyone!
He’s a wet toast
Posted: December 27, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, toast, words 1 CommentA discussion on Christmas Eve describing a friend gives us this nice malaphor. It is a blend of “wet blanket” (discouraging enjoyment or enthusiasm) and “milquetoast” (lacking vigor, wishy washy), both referring to someone who is boring and dull. It’s not quite a congruent conflation but definitely an excellent description! A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in.
This is the last malaphor posted for 2024. Stay tuned for what everyone has been waiting for — Malaphor of the Year!
Hopefully it will be the final straw in his coffin
Posted: December 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, Trump, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about the latest lie from Trump. This is a mash up of “the last straw” and “another nail in the coffin” (both meaning the final problem that will lead to a collapse or end). This one is similar to a previous post – “the last straw in his coffin” https://malaphors.com/2012/11/22/the-last-straw-in-the-coffin/
A shout out to Beverly Rollins Sheingorn VanDerhei for uttering this one unintentionally and sending it in.
The cat is already out of the barn
Posted: December 18, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cats, expressions, horses, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking to his wife about school shootings and said that they are too late to rectify due to lax gun laws. He then blurted out this nice mashup of “the horse is out of the barn” (it’s too late to prevent something from happening) and “the cat is out of the bag” (allow a secret to be known). Too bad he didn’t add that the train has left the station. “Out of” is the common thread here, and cats certainly hang out in barns. A big thank you to Chuck Hatsis for admitting he said this one and sending it in to Malaphor Central.
They’ve kicked this one down the can many times
Posted: December 16, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, KDKA, Larry Richert, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentLarry Richert, Pittsburgh radio talk show host of the “KDKA Morning Show with Larry Richert”, was talking about the budget talks and another continuing resolution due date. Regarding Congress actually voting to pass a budget, Richert said “they’ve kicked this one down the can so many times.” This is a mashup of “kick the can down the road” (defer or postpone a definitive action) and “down the line” (in the future). Both phrases involve something done in the future, hence the mental mixup.
A tip of the toque to Katie Minnock for hearing this one and sending it in!
How are you going?
Posted: December 13, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentA friend met up with his buddy to take their daily walk and he blurted out this salutation. It is a mashup of “How are you doing?” and “How’s it going?” This one may sound familiar, as it is spoken frequently. Malaphors sometimes just involve a substitute of one tiny word in a phrase. A tip of the hat to Martin Pietrucha for saying this one unintentionally and promptly sending it in.
In my research of this phrase, I found out that it is an accepted idiom in Australia – “How ya goin’?” So it’s not a malaphor in the Land Down Under. For the record, Mr. Pietrucha is not Australian.
Even when he’s lying out of his teeth
Posted: December 11, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ben Wikler, expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, The Daily Show, Trump, words Leave a commentBen Wikler, the current chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, was on The Daily Show and speaking about how Trump’s habit of speaking before he thinks appeals to so many voters. Wikler added, “even when he’s (Trump) lying”. You can catch this on the December 9, 2024 show at the 32:31 mark.
This is a congruent conflation of “lying through (one’s) teeth” and “talking out of (one’s) ass”, both describing one who lies brazenly. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this beauty and sending it in. This malaphor was also submitted a few years ago by Lou Pugliese in a different context – https://malaphors.com/2019/03/11/shes-lying-out-of-her-teeth/
Democracy is hanging by a string
Posted: December 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All In With Chris Hayes, expressions, humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis one was heard on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast, episode 241k, at 1:28:
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000679274189
This is a mashup of “hanging by a thread” (something is in a dangerous state and likely to fail) and I think “have (someone) on the string” (to keep someone awaiting a decision). Threads and strings are similar so it seems logical that something would be hanging by a string, but to date it’s not an actual idiom. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!
Meshing on all cylinders
Posted: December 6, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles, words Leave a commentThe coach of the football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, was asked about the team’s collapse last year:
“Last year is over. We don’t care about last year,” Sirianni said on Sunday. “We learned what we needed to learn from last year and what we needed to do off of that. This year, it’s a different group of guys. This is a different team that’s gelling and meshing on all cylinders right now. With that being said, you are only as good as your last game. We’ve got a big game coming up this weekend.” Here is the link to the entire interview:
This is a mashup of “meshing with (someone)” (working well together) and “hitting on all cylinders” (performing at maximum efficiency). Both idioms describe working together and the malaphor could thus be a congruent conflation. Props to Linda Bernstein for spotting this one in the Philadelphia Inquirer and sending it in!
I’m too good for my britches
Posted: December 2, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentA wonderful Thanksgiving dinner was prepared – turkey with stuffing, candied yams with marshmallows, green beans in French fried onion topping, mashed potatores, gravy, pies, etc. Despite her usual humility, the cook exclaimed, “I’m too good for my britches!” This is a mashup of “too big for my britches” (conceited, self-important) and maybe “too good for this world” (exceptionally selfless, kind). Perhaps “as good as it gets” (impossible to improve upon) given the context, or even “too good to be true” (to be so exciting as to be unbelievable). A big thanks(giving) to Patti Tomai Palladino for uttering this beauty and Skip Kennedy for sending it in!
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