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 It’s a mashup of “not in the cards” (not likely to happen) and “off the table” (withdrawn or no longer available).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.

Two horse party

There was a discussion about mergers in the hotel industry and that there are practically only two major players left. This is a mashup of “two-horse race” (a competition or election where only two candidates have any chance of winning) and “two-party system” (a political system where two major parties consistently dominate the political landscape). A shout out to Andy Jacobs for hearing this one and sending it in!

It keeps everyone off edge

Fareed Zakaria, in a Freakonomics podcast episode (#538 – “Are we living through the most revolutionary time in history?”), was describing how Iran attempts to subvert Saudi military strength by sponsoring extremist groups in the Middle East. He says “it keeps everyone off edge” (at the 44:56 mark). This is a mashup of “on edge” (feeling nervous) and “off balance” (unprepared or surprised). Both phrases seem to fit given the context. A big thank you to Doug Pietrucha for hearing this one and sending it in.

Just to put a pin on it

Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, said this mashup of “not to put too fine a point on it” (not to focus too much on something) and I believe “pin (something) down” (to establish something concretely). “Put a pin in it” (hold that thought) might also be in the mix, but it doesn’t fit in the context. Props to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.

You can’t get ahead of the cart

Laura Coates, chief legal analyst for CNN, was talking about the Trump criminal trial, and Judge Merchan’s sustaining an objection to the defense opening statement attacking Cohen credibility. This is a mashup of “ahead of (someone or something)” (in advance of something) and “don’t put the cart before the horse” (don’t do things preemptively). “Ahead of the curve” (leading in something) may also be in the mix, with “curve” and “cart” similarly sounding. A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in!