Pot of gold at the end of the tunnel

Brent jacquette, a former collegiate soccer player and coach, was talking about pay for college athletes. “As this makes big news, people see this pot of gold at the end of the tunnel,” Jacquette said. See the entire article here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ncaa-athletes-pay-deal-raises-141803647.html

This is a mashup of “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” (the ultimate reward after a difficult process) and “light at the end of the tunnel” (a sign that something difficult is almost at an end). A big thanks to Lou Pugliese for spotting this one and sending it in. Speaking of Lou, I want to give a big shout out to him for his recent book publication, “Blame It On the Moon”. It’s on sale NOW on Amazon! Here’s the link:

You need to think outside the envelope

This happened during a discussion regarding thinking more creatively. It is a mashup of “think outside the box” (think freely, not bound by old rules or practices) and “push the envelope” (to surpass normal limits or attempt something viewed as radical). Maybe putting an envelope in a mailbox caused the confusion? Or perhaps it is because both idioms involve a thought or action beyond the norm. In any event, this nice malaphor was sent in by Dave Nemcsik. Thanks Dave!

Tying themselves in pretzels

This beauty was heard on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins. Her guest was Geoff Duncan, former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, and they were talking about Republicans having a difficult time answering the question, “was the 2020 election stolen?” Duncan said Ted Cruz and others are “tying themselves in pretzels” trying to explain their answer to a simple question. Here’s the clip:

This is a conflation of “tying (someone) up in knots” (make someone anxious or confused) and “twist (yourself) into a pretzel” (go to great lengths or do anything possible). Another big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one, providing the clip (proof), and sending it in!

The sparks never clicked

Joe Scarborough said this one on Morning Joe. It’s a congruent conflation of “not clicked with (someone) and “sparks never flew”, both meaning no attraction or connection with someone or something. A tip of the toque to Mike Kovacs for hearing this malaphor and sending it in!

More than meets the surface

This one was heard on a radio ad for a CNN show, “How It Really Happened”. It is a nice congruent conflation of “more than meets the eye” and “beneath/below the surface”, both meaning deeper aspects of something, as opposed to those that are most easily identified. A shout out to Verbatim for spotting this one and sending it in!

I’m gonna follow to the letter of a T

A neighbor was discussing following directions for a project and said this nice congruent conflation of “to the letter” and “to a T”, both meaning perfectly or exactly. A big thanks to Sam Edelmann for hearing this one and sharing it.

That’s off the cards

Hala Gorani, an NBC correspondent in the Middle East, said this one on the All In with Chris Hayes podcast. She was talking about the settlement being worked on between Hamas and Israel. She started to say the correct metaphor (“that’s not in the cards”) but then grabs the malaphor. It’s a mashup of “not in the cards” (not likely to happen) and “off the table” (withdrawn or no longer available). The malaphor can be heard at 40:55:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in-with-chris-hayes/id1314170606?i=1000654886140

A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one and sending it in!

Let’s crack the bottom of this case

The speaker was not talking about beer, but rather trying to figure something out. This is a congruent conflation of  “crack the case” and “getting to the bottom of (something)”, both meaning to solve a mystery. A shout out to Luke Doblick for sending this one in!

sitting lame duck

This one is sourced from the Washington Post’s letters to the editor on May 1, 2024: “Maryland Democrats cannot afford to be waiting like a sitting lame duck.”  Opinion | The sky-high stakes of the Maryland Senate race – The Washington Post 

This is a mashup of “sitting duck” (easy to attack or take advantage of) and “lame duck” (in politics, an elected official whose successor has already been elected or will be soon). Kudos to Barry Eigen for spotting this one in the letters to the editor wilds. As Barry aptly points out, “you’d expect a lame duck to need to sit, so it’s kind of logical”. That Barry, he’s a real wise quacker.

I couldn’t throw him as far as I could spit him

As they say in the media world, lots to unpack here. I believe this is a mashup of “I wouldn’t trust (someone) as far as I could throw them” (indication of profound distrust) and “within spitting distance” (close proximity). I included the latter as the phrase indicates measurement or distance, so that is possibly where “spit” comes into play. “Throw up” might also have been in the speaker’s mind which led to “spit (up)”. Not sure. In any event, a big thanks to Bobby Workman for sending this one in, and indicating there are loads more from the mouths of his wife and her sister. Stay tuned, malaphor lovers.