I don’t want to spoil her thunder

Posted: March 21, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The host at a seminar was introducing the speaker and started to go into detail about some of her work.  She caught herself and then said this malaphor.  It is a mash up of “spoil the surprise (or ending)” (to ruin a surprise or ending by revealing it ahead of time) and “steal {someone’s) thunder” (when someone takes another person’s information or idea and uses it as their own).  Spoil and steal are both five letter words starting with s that probably led to the confusion.   A shout out to malaphor follower Ian for hearing this one and passing it on!

I want to rattle the tree

Posted: March 19, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
Another malaphor from the world of television.  On a Dateline Internal Affairs episode, entitled Deadly Conspiracy, the Orange County Homicide Dept. wanted to do something to people involved in a murder conspiracy, so the chief detective Tom Dodds explained he wanted to “rattle the tree” and disturb their complacency.  This is a mash up of “shake (someone’s) tree”  (disturb or arouse someone to action) and “rattle (someone’s) cage” (to make someone angry on purpose).  Both expressions involve annoying or disturbing someone, and the words “rattle” and “shake” are similar in meaning and often used together (e.g., shake, rattle and roll).   A big thanks to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and passing it on!
dateline

If the shoe was turned

Posted: March 17, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Had to post this one immediately.  Today on NPR’s “Morning Edition”  Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah),  responding to a question about him refusing to act on Obama’s Supreme Court nomination, implied the Democrats would do the same thing “If the shoe was turned”.  This is a wonderful congruent conflation of “if the tables were turned” and “if the shoe was on the other foot”, both meaning to experience or cause the opposite situation.  See also the link: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/orrin-hatch-merrick-garland-democrats-220914.   A big thank you to Paula Garrety for hearing this gem and passing it along!

orrin hatch

 

Pittsburgh is a blue market town

Posted: March 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My son was describing Pittsburgh and uttered this malaphor.  It is a combo of “small market” (sports term for a team that struggles to compete financially with teams from larger markets) and ” blue collar” (working class or having to do with manual labor).  “Black market” (business of buying or selling illegal goods) may also be in the mix, confusing blue and black.   Perhaps this phrase will catch on and describe those cities that are both small market and blue collar (Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, etc).  Thanks to Kevin Hatfield for passing this one along!

I don’t harbor any luggage

Posted: March 14, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pretty whacky, but it was said by the Rochester NY school board President.  “‘I don’t harbor any luggage from our battle over mayoral control,’ White said, noting he and Duffy have known one another for years.”  This is a mash up of “harbor (or hold) a grudge” (to have persistent ill feelings toward another) and “excess (or a lot of) baggage” (a personal history or traumatic experience that has become burdensome).  This is an interesting malaphor as the word luggage does not appear in any of the mixed idioms.  Baggage and luggage are synonymous and also sound alike, so this is where the mix up occurred.  Also “grudge” and “luggage” have similar sounds so the brain might have tried to pluck “grudge” from the swirl of words and instead picked “baggage”.  A big thank you to John Costello for reading this one and passing it on.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut twice a day

Posted: March 13, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This congruent conflation was uttered by a former colleague in a training session.  He mixed the sayings “even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile” and “even a broken clock is right twice a day”, both meaning someone who is misguided  can still be correct by luck or by chance.   Both idioms start with “even a” which probably created the mash up.  A big thanks to Tim Stueve for hearing this one and passing it on!

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He’s sharp as a whip

Posted: March 11, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This malaphor was heard on “Hardball” with Chris Matthews.  Political pundit Charles Cook was describing former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards, now elderly, whom he saw recently.  This is a congruent conflation of “smart as a whip” and “sharp as a tack”, both meaning to be very intelligent.  Both idioms contain the same number of words, and “sharp” and “smart” have similar sounds.  I can see where these metaphor can be easily mixed.  A big shout out to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and passing it on!

 

This lets them fire on both barrels

Posted: March 10, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This is a nice subtle malaphor, conflating “with both barrels” (with as much energy as possible) and “fire on all cylinders” (to function as efficient as possible).  Both idioms are similar in meaning, and both involve combustion. “Both” and “all” might also be contributing to the confusion.  In context, the writer was discussing certain marketers that produce content efficiently but also are audience-focused.  Hence “this lets them fire on both barrels: quantity and quality.”  A big thanks to Marcia Riefer Johnston for sending this one in!  You can boost your writing skills by visiting her wonderful website at http://writing.rocks.

He’s not the sharpest light bulb in the pack

Posted: March 4, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What’s with light bulbs and tools being confused?  A familiar mash up, this time the congruent conflation is “not the sharpest tool in the shed” and “not the brightest light bulb in the pack”, both describing someone who is not very intelligent.  The various sayings describing a dimwit are similar sounding and involve something in a unit or package that is unique, hence the confusion.   I have posted other variations on this theme – see https://malaphors.com/2015/12/07/youre-not-the-brightest-toolbox-in-the-shed/ and https://malaphors.com/2013/06/24/not-the-brightest-tool-in-the-shed/.

I call the above “idiom overload” when there are just too many sayings swirling around in the head that have the same meaning.  Another example of idiom overload is describing the obvious: “is the Pope Catholic?”. “Does a bear shit in the woods?” etc.  These get mixed up regularly.  A big thanks to Gary Kelly for hearing this one and passing it on!

 

 

 

We don’t want to get caught with our pants off

Posted: March 1, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Marykathryn strikes again!  In preparing for a trial, she and her husband were discussing strategy and who was going to do what. She told him they had better really study the transcript from the Deposition and be prepared to catch the witness in any lies. He agreed. She then uttered, “Well after all, we do not want to get caught with our pants off.”  This is a great congruent conflation of “caught off guard” and “caught with our pants down”, both meaning to be taken by surprise.  This is an amusing mash up, for many reasons.  First, it uses the word “off” in the wrong place.  Adding to the confusion is the word “caught” found in both phrases.  “Pants off” and “pants down” achieve the same purpose, so I can see why the speaker mixed up her idioms.   Another shout out to Marykathryn Kopec for providing a great malaphor!

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