That’s right on spot
Posted: November 25, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThis was overheard at a conference. An official was giving a pep talk to the attendees about the field they are in. It is a congruent conflation of “right on target” and “spot on”, both meaning being very accurate. Of course adding a comma makes this a nice compliment to your dog. Kudos to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and sending it in.
It will be a smooth breeze
Posted: November 22, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, John Shumway, KDKA, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentPittsburgh traffic report on KDKA: John Shumway was talking about an accident which was backing up traffic, but that once you got by the accident driving “will be a smooth breeze”. This is a congruent conflation of “smooth sailing” and “a breeze”, both meaning easy progress without difficulty or impediment.
A big thanks to Dan Geier for hearing this one and sending it in!
There are lots of stakes
Posted: November 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All In With Chris Hayes, blended idioms, expressions, humor, malaphors, Melanie Zanona, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentMelanie Zanona, a Capitol Hill reporter, said this malaphor on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast when she was discussing the issue of whether the House Ethics Committee should release the report on Matt Gaetz. You can hear it at 20:15: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000677135164
This is a mashup of “a lot at stake” (taking a big risk) and “stakes are high” (risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous). A big thank you to veteran malaphor spotter Frank King for noticing this one and sending it in.
It rattled a few feathers
Posted: November 13, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentFormer NHL coach Rick Bowness was interviewed on the Cam and Strick Podcast Show and uttered this nice malaphor at 2:24:18:
It is a congruent conflation of “ruffling (someone’s) feathers” and “rattle someone’s cage”, both meaning to annoy or irritate someone. “Feathers” and “cages” are linked together which may have caused the confusion. A tip of the hat to Will for spotting this one and sending it in!
Count your prayers
Posted: November 11, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThis was unintentionally said by the contributor. It is a mashup of “count your blessings” (appreciate the good things in life) and maybe “say your prayers” (to make a humble request) or perhaps “keep you in my prayers” (needs are being considered). “Prayers” and “blessings” go together so the mashup is a subtle one and my guess a commonly spoken one. Kudos to Katie Mikalis for sending this one in!
I think Hillary really had the upper leg
Posted: November 8, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Hillary Clinton, humor, Kamala Harris, malaphor, malaphors, New York times, words Leave a commentThis one was spotted in a New York Times article about how undecided voters are making up their minds. The one lady named Morgan said about the comparison between Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris:
“I think it’s unfair. I think Hillary was much more versed going into her campaign. I feel that Harris is not nearly as prepared as Hillary was. I do see some similarities, in terms of the name-calling and belittling. I think Hillary really had the upper leg, if you had to compare the two.”
This is a nice congruent conflation of “have a leg up” and “have the upper hand” (have an advantage over someone or something). This is another example of a body part mix up. A big thank you to Linda Bernstein for spotting this one!
It was a softball layup
Posted: November 6, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, idioms, malaphor, words Leave a commentThe contributor’s nephew, who loves just about all sports, uttered this one. It is a congruent conflation of “a softball” and “a layup”, both describing something easy (one is a question and the other a task). A softball layup must be super easy. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
Sometimes we clash heads
Posted: November 4, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: idioms, malaphors, pizza, wordplay, words Leave a commentThis was heard on the You Tube video, “Meet the Krispy Pizza Kings of New York”. Here is the link to the video:
This is a congruent conflation of “clash with (someone or something)” and “butt heads”, both meaning to disagree with someone. A huge shout out to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and sending it in!
Donald Trump is the white elephant in the room
Posted: November 1, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, malaphors, mixed idioms, MSNBC, Trump Leave a commentWilliam Cohen, who served as both a Republican U.S. Representative as well as a U.S Senator and Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton, said this malaphor on the MSNBC show The Beat with Ari Melber on October 23, nine days ago. It is a mashup of “elephant in the room” (obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed) and “white elephant” (a burdensome possession whose costs outweigh its value). While I have posted this one before (September 6, 2012), it is too good to pass up.
“The elephant in the room” seems to be a common expression mix-up. For example, I have posted:
“It’s the 800 pound elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2015/03/30/its-the-800-pound-elephant-in-the-room/
“I think that’s the pink elephant in the room” https://malaphors.com/2013/08/07/i-think-thats-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room/
In fact, I have a separate section devoted to the “elephant malaphor” in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
They are going to pay out the nose
Posted: October 28, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThis one was spoken by Chris Hayes on his podcast “All In with Chris Hayes”. You can hear it at 42:24:
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000674380669
Every schoolboy knows you “pay OUT the ass” and “pay THROUGH the nose”, both meaning to pay a ridiculous amount of money. This congruent conflation was brought to you by Frank King. Once again, thanks Frank!
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