This one is a snake in cheap clothing

The speaker was very angry at an adversary (another attorney) and told her husband that the attorney was smarmy. Her husband then said many of them are, and her response was, “Well, this one is a snake in cheap clothing!” This is a congruent conflation of “a snake” and “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, both describing a treacherous or deceitful person. “Cheap” rhymes with “sheep” which may have been in the speaker’s mind. Also “all over someone like a cheap suit” (crowding someone in a flirtatious way) might be in the mix. A big thanks to Marykathryn Kopec for this one!

Like a lamb to the buzzsaw

The contributor was watching the Trump/Biden debate and his brother-in-law was commenting on Biden’s poor performance, uttering this mashup of “like a lamb/lambs to the slaughter” (to do something without concern of the dangers ahead) and “walking/running into a buzz saw” (encounter a dangerous situation). Good description. A shout out to loyal Malaphor follower and major contributor Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

As the political season heats up, so do the malaphors. Check out my book Things Are Not Rosy-Dory: Malaphors from Politicians and Pundits, a collection of past malaphors uttered by both parties and by all those talking political heads out there! It’s on Amazon for a cheap $8.99! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C7GGMG5?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Pull out all the punches

A friend of the contributor was telling him that he needed to put in his full effort to get a promotion. This is a mashup of “pull out all the stops” (to do something with maximum effort or ability) and “not pulling any punches” (act without restraint or limitations). “Pull” is the operative word here. “Beat to the punch” might also be in the mix. This one reminds me of another posted malaphor, “he doesn’t hold any punches”. https://malaphors.com/2022/10/01/he-doesnt-hold-any-punches/ Another tip of the hat to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.

Another bite at the oyster

The contributor was talking about working all day, and needing to finish up one more task. This is a mashup of “another bite at the apple” (additional opportunity) and “the world is your oyster” (can do or have anything in life). Knowing the contributor, my guess is that he was thinking of the Three Stooges routine where Curly has a bowl of oyster stew (see video below). A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for unintentionally saying this one and sending it in.

https://youtu.be/sN1eNKGbbXY

How far down the Rubicon they have gone

This one was heard on the talk radio program, the “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show”. They were discussing how some political commentators are starting to speak histrionically as we approach the upcoming election. This is a mashup of “down the rabbit hole” (in a situation or journey that is particularly problematic or chaotic) and “crossing the Rubicon” (passing a point of no return). The Rubicon is a river in Italy so one can very well go “down” it, but Julius Caesar crossing it in 49 BC precipitated Caesar’s Civil War. A big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in!

Pouring bullets

The contributor and his girlfriend were walking outside on an extremely hot day. The girlfriend noticed the contributor sweating profusely and uttered this nice conflation of “pouring buckets” (raining very heavily), “sweating bullets” (very nervous) and “sweating buckets” (sweating heavily). Bullets and buckets are similar sounding, contributing to the mashup. A big thanks to Anthony Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!

Trivolity

The contributor of this malaphor talks to his brother regularly, with the discussions mainly involved in exchanging bits of trivia. The brother’s wife unintentionally described the conversations as engaging in “trivolity”. This is a terrific word blend of “trivia” and “frivolity”. For some reason I also think of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which has a great “amuse”ment park.

Word blends are types of malaphors and the website and books have many examples.

Someone asked me if my word blend malaphors are actually portmanteaus. I don’t think so. The main difference is that a portmanteau is an intentional word blend while a malaphor is unintentional.  There are other differences:

A portmanteau is a combination of two (or more) words or morphemes, and their definitions, into one new word. A portmanteau word generally combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings, for instance, the term “wurly” when describing hair that is both wavy and curly.

The word “portmanteau” was first used in this context by Lewis Carroll in the book Through the Looking-Glass (1871), in which Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice the coinage of the unusual words in Jabberwocky, where “slithy” means “lithe and slimy” and “mimsy” is “flimsy and miserable”. Humpty Dumpty explains the practice of combining words in various ways by telling Alice,

‘You see it’s like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.’

My single word blend malaphors are unconscious blends of words to make an unintentional new word. The word sounds or looks correct at first blush, but then on closer examination is incorrect. Examples include “Buckminster Palace” (Buckingham and Westminster, and/or possibly Buckminster Fuller) and “split-minute decision” (split second and last minute).

A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for sharing this one!

They didn’t kick them under the table

Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Opening Bell was talking about Southwest airline stock and whether the stock had been impacted by Boeing’s issues with the 737 Max.  Cramer said Southwest and Boeing have an excellent relationship and that Southwest didn’t “kick them (Boeing) under the table” when they were having problems. This is a mashup of “kick (someone or something) to the curb” (to be discarded or dismissed due to being unwanted), “off the table” (withdrawn or no longer available) and “drink (someone) under the table” (to be able to drink more alcohol than someone else). I included both “table” idioms as “off the table” seems to fit in the context but the word “under” is present making me think Cramer was also thinking, for some reason, of the drinking idiom. A big thank you to John Hatfield Jr. for hearing this one and sending it in!

Get out from behind the safety curtain

There was a Facebook discussion about student debt and loan forgiveness. One commenter said:

“Show your employer some high quality work and let them pay for it! It is time to get out from behind the safety curtain of school and go to work! You have the education, now get the experience you desperately need—through hands on WORK!”

This is a blend of “a safety net” (collection of resources available for use in case of problems) and “behind the curtain” (in secret or concealed from public view). “Security blanket” (something that gives security and comfort) might also be in the mix, given the context. A big thanks to Dave Nemcsik for sharing this one.

I’m just sitting there twiddling my thumbs up my ass

A friend of the contributor had been out of work for over six months, and mentioned that when he’s at home and done with job applications for the day and has nothing left to do, “I’m just sitting there twiddling my thumbs up my ass.” This is a congruent conflation of “twiddling (one’s) thumbs”, “standing around with (one’s) thumb up (one’s) ass”, and “sitting on (one’s) ass”, all meaning to be idle and wasting time. A big thanks to Daniel Thomas for hearing this one and sending it in!