Kick your feet back
Posted: May 25, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, kick back, language, malaphor, malaphors, put your feet up, words Leave a commentRegular malaphor contributor Yvonne Stam heard this one on NPR’s Morning Edition. It is a very subtle congruent conflation of “kick back” and “put your feet up”, both meaning to relax. “Kick up your heels” (doing something you enjoy) might also be in the mix, combining “kick” with a part of the foot. This one is really a nice visual of someone kicking back in an office chair and putting their feet on the desk. Or perhaps a nice martial arts move, as illustrated below. Many thanks to Yvonne for hearing this one and sending it in.
I have an open ear policy
Posted: May 23, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, keep your ears open, language, malaphor, malaphors, open door policy, words Leave a commentA candidate for mayor posted this gem on a community website. This is a mash up of “keep your eyes and ears open” (pay attention to what is happening) and “an open door policy” (a decision by someone in authority to make themselves available at all times). Kudos to John Hatfield for open eyes and spotting this one.
We got nothing but time under the bridge
Posted: May 21, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, nothing but time, water under the bridge, words expressions 1 CommentThis one was overheard at an administrative hearing. It is a mash up of “nothing but (time)” (only; just) and “water under the bridge” (past and unchangeable events). Perhaps the speaker was thinking of the song “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”:
I’m just sittin’ on the dock of the bay, Wastin’ time.
Or maybe “Under the Boardwalk”, where one just is “havin’ some fun”? Or perhaps the speaker just likes to spend time under bridges. We’ll never know. A big thank you to Bill Belanger for hearing this one and sending it in!
They won by the skin of their chinny chin chin
Posted: May 17, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, not by the hair of our chinny chin chin, skin of their teeth, The Three Little Pigs, words 2 CommentsThe speaker blurted this beauty out when she was describing a really close baseball game in which the Pittsburgh Pirates ultimately prevailed. It is a mash up of “by the skin of their teeth” (just barely, narrowly) and “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” (outright refusal to allow something). Of course, the latter phrase is a line from the nursery rhyme “The Three Little Pigs”, where the pig will not allow the wolf to come into the house. Skin and chin rhyme, and teeth, skin, and chin are all in the same general vicinity, hence the mix up I suppose. I think I will use this one for now on when there is a close call. A big thanks to Dan Fornadel who heard his wife utter this gem and passed it on.
Sometimes you have to just step outside the dots
Posted: May 16, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: connect the dots, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, think outside the box, walk on the wild side, words 2 CommentsSome nice malaphor advice. I believe this is a mash up of “think outside the box” (think freely without adherence to old rules or ideas) and “connect the dots” (to understand the relationship between different ideas and experiences). The words “box” and “dots” are the culprits, both sounding similar. Not sure where “step” comes into play, but perhaps the speaker had in mind “step in the right direction” or “step in line”, or maybe even “walk on the wild side”? I know the speaker is a Lou Reed fan, so that is a real possibility. As in all great malaphors, there is a bit of a mystery how the brain produces one. A shout out to Lisa Davies O’Donnell, the malaphoree, who heard her husband Tim, the malaphorer, say this one.
He’s singing off tune
Posted: May 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off key, out of tune, words Leave a commentWhile relaxing pool side, a one-man band was serenading Char Stone, a frequent malaphor contributor. A nice subtle malaphor followed. This is a mash up of “off key” (off pitch or out of tune) and “out of tune” (not in harmony with another). I’m sure the sour notes didn’t spoil the umbrella drink, however. A tip of the hat to Char Stone for sharing this one!
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It’s a difficult road to hoe
Posted: May 11, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: difficult road, expressions, hard row to hoe, humor, language, long road, malaphor, malaphors, words Leave a commentI published a similar malaphor a few years ago – “It’s been a long road to hoe” https://malaphors.com/2013/04/25/its-been-a-long-road-to-hoe/, and received recently yet another similar one from Gary Kelly – “”We’re going to have a hard road to tow”. At first these might seem more like malaprops, with the word “road” substituting for “row”, but I think they are actually malaphors. “A difficult road” and “a long road” have the same meaning as the intended phrase “it’s a difficult row to hoe”, so idioms have been confused.
This malaphor was spoken by Nina Easton on a Fox News Special Report, April 18, 2016, commenting on the challenges facing tax reform. A big thanks to Jim Clees for hearing this one and passing it on!
She will sleep like a light bulb tonight
Posted: May 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, out like a light, sleeps like a baby, words Leave a commentA child was clearly overtired and, nearing bed time, had a bit of a meltdown. This malaphor contributor predicted that she would “sleep like a light bulb tonight”. This is a great congruent conflation of “out like a light” and “sleep like a baby”, both describing a deep and restful sleep. Apparently there is a light bulb that advertises as a “sleep light bulb” (pictured below). Thanks to Mary for saying this one and sending it in!
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Not to beat this horse into the ground, but….
Posted: May 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beat a dead horse, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, run into the ground, words 1 Comment
You are skirting the line
Posted: May 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: crossing the line, Duff, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, skirting around, words 2 CommentsDuff, on the Food Channel show “Spring Baking Championship”, said this one when describing a contestant’s ice cream. Based on the context, I think it’s a mash up of “skirting around” (to avoid someone or something) and “crossing the line” (to change from being acceptable to being unacceptable). Perhaps he was thinking of “skating on thin ice” and pulled the word “skirt” instead of “skate” from his brain. Any other thoughts out there in malaphorland? A big thanks to Brenda Hubbard for hearing this one and passing it on.
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