Put their nose to the wire
Posted: October 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: down to the wire, expressions, hold their feet to the fire, hold their noses, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, put your nose to the grindstone, words Leave a commentAt a recent settlement conference the speaker meant to say, “hold their feet to the fire” but instead heard herself saying, “put their nose to the wire”. So where to start on this multi-mixed idiom blend? First, wire rhymes with fire so that must have been in the speaker’s mind. Second, since it was a settlement agreement, perhaps “hold their noses” (to attempt to avoid something unpleasant) was on her mind. As time is usually of the essence in a case, “down to the wire” (until the last possible moment) may also have been swirling around her brain. “Put your nose to the grindstone” (to keep busy doing work) was probably also bubbling to the surface, considering the tenacious nature of settlement conferences. Finally, horses win often by a nose at the wire so that image could also have been in the thought process. A big thanks to Polly McGilvray for saying and sharing this multi-faceted malaphor!
It’s the carrot at the end of the tunnel
Posted: October 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: carrot and stick approach, expressions, humor, language, light at the end of the tunnel, malaphor, malaphors, words 3 CommentsTwo guys were told that part of their pay would be made when their work was successfully delivered. They were told to consider it “the carrot at the end of the tunnel”. This is a nice mash up of “light at the end of the tunnel” (the end of a difficult period or job) and “carrot on a stick” (reward that is promised as an incentive to complete a task). This malaphor is probably caused by carrots and sticks having similar shapes. And maybe Bugs Bunny sitting in a tunnel pulling carrots underground? A big thanks to Bob Newstadt for hearing this one and passing it on. An additional shout out to his quick-witted friend Nax Paul Mendler for responding to the speaker with, “don’t you mean the light at the end of the stick?”
If you enjoyed this mixed idiom, you will love my book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, now available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
A wrench had been thrown into the bucket
Posted: October 4, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick the bucket, language, malaphor, malaphors, throw a monkey wrench into the works, words Leave a commentIn the context of a plan that was derailed, a coworker said that “a wrench had been thrown into the bucket.” I think this is a mash up of “throw a monkey wrench into the works” (disrupt a plan) and “kick the bucket” (to die). I think the latter is in the mix because the speaker was discussing a plan that was essentially dead as a result of the derailment. Anyone have any other ideas? A big thanks to Tom Winkleman for hearing this one and passing it on!
Microsoft continues to cloudy the water
Posted: October 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cloud the issue, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, muddy the waters, words Leave a commentThe exact quote is “Microsoft continues to cloudy the water around their licensing schemes.” This was heard on a corporate training video discussing a technology where software use is either licensed via a traditional shrink-wrapped license or via a Service Provider Licensing Arrangement. It is a congruent conflation of “cloud the issue” and “muddy the waters”, both meaning to make something unclear. Certainly muddy water is cloudy, and hence the mix up. And as pointed out by the Magellan of Malaphors Mike Kovacs, who heard this beauty, readers should note the transmogrification of the word “cloud” to fit this malaphor. Score for Mike and extra points for using the word transmogrification in a sentence and for using the word correctly. This is like getting fouled on a three point shot that goes in and having the other team called for a technical.
You can’t change back the clocks
Posted: September 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, Cameron Diaz, can't change the past, can't turn back the clock, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentIn an interview on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy, Cameron Diaz was referencing growing old gracefully and said ” you can’t change back the clocks”. http://site.people.com/style/cameron-diaz-taught-gwyneth-paltrow-how-to-use-a-blow-dryer-proves-shes-the-ultimate-celebrity-bff/
This is a nice congruent conflation of “can’t change the past” and “can’t turn back the clock”, both meaning that you can’t make things the same as they were in an earlier time. The phrase “change the clock” is often used when switching to daylight savings time and vice versa, so this might have been in the speaker’s mind. A big thanks to Vicki Kovacs for hearing this one!
We’re on the same page length
Posted: September 27, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, on the same page, on the same wavelength, words Leave a commentDescribing a positive experience in a job interview, the speaker felt that he and the interviewer were “on the same page length”. This is a nice congruent conflation of “on the same page” and “on the same wavelength”, both meaning to be in agreement or thinking similarly. Both idioms have the words “on the same” and share similar sounding words – “wave” and “page”. I can see where this would be a commonly used malaphor. A shout out to Amy Silver Desmond for hearing this one and passing it on!
Push the bar
Posted: September 26, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, push the envelope, raise the bar, say yes to the dress, words Leave a commentA participant on the television program “Say Yes to the Dress” was referring to her desire to raise her standards when selecting a wedding dress and said “push the bar”. This is a conflation of “push the envelope” (exceed the limits of what is normally done) and “raise the bar” (raise or exceed the standards of quality that are expected). It is close to a congruent conflation, as both idioms describe exceeding a standard. My guess is that the verbs “push” and “raise” caused the mental confusion.
A big thanks to Chief Malaphor Hunter (CMH) Mike Kovacs for submitting this one for a friend.
Speaking of exceeding quality standards, did you know the new book He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors received an A+ rating from the Society of Word Oddities (SWO)? Get yours today on Amazon!
It’s as clear as a bone this morning
Posted: September 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clear as a bell, dry as a bone, expressions, humor, KDKA, language, malaphor, malaphors, Pittsburgh, words Leave a commentThat was the weather report from local channel KDKA in Pittsburgh yesterday. This is a mash up of “as dry as a bone” (extremely dry) and “clear as a bell” (very clear). The weatherman was discussing a very clear and dry (little humidity) day and managed to describe both in one nice malaphor! I think this should be in our standard lexicon to describe those beautiful clear, dry days, don’t you? Hats off to Bill Shaffer who heard this beauty.
Some are riding the fence
Posted: September 20, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, riding it out, sitting on the fence, Washington Post, words Leave a commentThis well-crafted mixed idiom appeared in the Washington Post. The author, Callum Borchers, was discussing the issue of where Republicans who are seeking office stand on supporting Donald Trump. “In future elections, Republicans seeking office will have to answer an important question: Where did you stand on Donald Trump? Some seem acutely aware of this looming litmus test and are riding the fence.”
This is a mash up of “sitting on the fence” (not taking sides in a dispute) and “riding it out” (continue working through something unpleasant or dangerous). The author might also have been thinking of “riding the pine” (in sports, to remain sitting on the bench), as it involves sitting. In researching this curious malaphor, I found that the idiom actually is used in St. Maarten. On that beautiful island, the airport is situated right off the beach. Tourists hold onto a fence as the planes take off and land just feet above them, hence the expression “riding the fence.”
A tip of the hat to frequent malaphor contributor John Costello for spotting this one and sending it on!
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Hillary Clinton is in the process of refudiating everything that Mr. Trump says
Posted: September 19, 2016 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: Donald Trump, expressions, Hardball, Hillary Clinton, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, refuting, repudiating, Sean Jackson, WORD BLENDS, words 1 CommentThis nice word blend malaphor was uttered by Sean Jackson, chairman of the Florida Black Republican Caucus and Trump supporter, on MSNBC’s Hardball. Mr. Jackson stated, “Hillary Clinton is in the process of refudiating everything that Mr. Trump says by trying to make him out to be the bigot.” See http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/hardball/2016-08-26
This is a mash up of “repudiating” (rejecting the validity or authority) and “refuting” (proving or saying that something is not true). Word blend malaphors are an interesting subset of idiom blend malaphors. There are quite a few posted on this website. A shout out to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it on!
If you liked this malaphor from the political world, you will want to get the book “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon! There is a whole chapter devoted to mash ups from politics.
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