I’m going to pull my own load
Posted: August 2, 2012 Filed under: ACTION | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, load, malaphors, mixed idioms, weight, words 1 CommentThis one combines perhaps a few idioms, albeit with different meanings – “pull my own weight” (do your fair share of a task), “load off my mind” (a burden relieved), and “load off my feet” (relax and sit down). Since the words weight and load are similar, the speaker probably just chose the wrong word, resulting in a malaphor which could have interesting connotations.
Don’t run around the bush
Posted: August 1, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, PLACES | Tags: blended idioms, bush, don't run around the bush, expressions, malaphor, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentThis beauty is a mix – up of “don’t beat around the bush” and “don’t give me the run around” , both idioms meaning don’t be so evasive. Because the meanings are very similar, the malaphor is a common one. I have heard it 4 or 5 times over the years. In fact, this one is so subtle that you might miss it when it is uttered.
I can’t put my foot on it
Posted: July 31, 2012 Filed under: BODY PARTS | Tags: blended idiom, expressions, malaphor, mixed idiom, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, words 2 CommentsI read this one in the local paper (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) yesterday. In responding to a question as to why he has been pitching so poorly since the All star break, James McDonald of the Pittsburgh Pirates said, “I can’t put my foot on it yet”. This malaphor is a combo of “can’t put my finger on it” and “putting my foot down”. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Let’s roll up our elbows and get to work
Posted: July 30, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, CLOTHING | Tags: blended idiom, elbow, expressions, malaphor, mixed idiom, sleeves, words, work 1 CommentThis one is a mash-up of “roll up your sleeves” and “elbow grease”, both idioms describing working hard. Rolling up the elbows fuses those idioms together very nicely and describes applying oneself to the task at hand perhaps better and certainly more succinctly! By the way, this is another one of the master’s gems.
He did it at the drop of a dime
Posted: July 30, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: blended idiom, dime, expressions, hat, malaphor, mixed idiom, words 4 CommentsPretty straightforward malaphor? Seems like a combination of “do at the drop of a hat” and “he dropped the dime”. Very different meanings, but the word “drop” apparently led the speaker to think “dime” instead of “hat” (alliteration perhaps?) and thus another malaphor was born.
I screwed myself in the foot
Posted: July 29, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, foot, malaphors, mixed idiom, words Leave a commentOh yes, I heard this one from “the master” one day after lunch. It is a blend of “shot myself in the foot” and “I screwed up”, creating a delightful and colorful malaphor. Again, “the master” improved the two idioms and made what I think a more descriptive one.
We missed our door of opportunity
Posted: July 27, 2012 Filed under: THINGS, TIME | Tags: blended idiom, door, expressions, maaphor, mixed idiom, window of opportunity, words 3 CommentsAt first blush, this one sounds right, but on further inspection, the speaker has apparently blended “window of opportunity” with “when one door closes, another door opens” (or maybe “open door policy”?). The resulting malaphor certainly makes sense as a window and a door are both openings and both idioms convey similar meanings. Less verbiage is always a good thing (you can quote me on that).
Spur of the minute
Posted: July 26, 2012 Filed under: TIME | Tags: blended idiom, expressions, idiom, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idiom, words Leave a commentI heard this from “the master” several times. He was never one to do things spontaneously, so I thought this malaphor expressed his actual feelings. This classic mixes “spur of the moment” with “in a minute”, implying perhaps a bit of hesitancy to a potential spontaneous action?
All your eggs lined up
Posted: July 25, 2012 Filed under: ANIMALS, FOOD, PLACES | Tags: ducks, eggs, expressions, malaphor, mixed idiom, scrambled eggs, words 4 CommentsThis is a mix-up of “lining up your ducks in a row” and “all your eggs in one basket”. Since ducks lay eggs, does the mind want to “scramble” eggs and ducks?
The phones have been ringing off the wall!
Posted: July 24, 2012 Filed under: ACTION, THINGS | Tags: expression, malaphor, mixed idiom, phones, words 3 CommentsI heard this one on tv during a PBS fundraiser several years ago. As with any good malaphor, I had to write it down immediately or I would have forgotten it. This is a combination of “ringing off the hook” and “off the wall”. It probably was said by someone my age or older, people who grew up with landline phones and where at least one phone was on the wall, usually the kitchen. The phones at that telethon were not on the wall, however.
Malaphors 
Recent Comments