Found in an article in The Daily Beast. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) was talking about the feud between Lauren Goebert and Marjorie Taylor-Greene:
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) compared Greene and Boebert’s battle to that of a “two-way sword.”
“I just think that whatever is there, could be utilized both ways,” he said, adding that “people make decisions that they have to work and live by, and you kind of hate being in their shoes.”
This is a mashup of “double-edged sword” (something that can be both beneficial and problematic) and “two-way street” (a situation where both sides must put forth an equal amount of effort to get a desired result). The reason for the mixup is obvious: “double” means “two”. Also, the two expressions are close in meaning. A big thanks to Frank King for spotting this one.
Alex Sherman, media reporter for CNBC, was commenting on MSNBC’s 11th Hour about the actor and writer strikes and how Disney CEO Iger and other studio execs have been ineffective in their response. This is a congruent conflation of “toss in the towel” and “wave the white flag”, both meaning to give up on an endeavor. The speaker may have been thinking of a football line judge throwing a penalty flag, or color guard flag tosses?
A big thank you to Bruce Ryan and Jim Kozlowski who heard this one and sent it in within minutes of each other.
The state of Florida’s National Guard has been undergoing changes, including becoming more of a militia and some have quit as a result. One former member said he did not think Governor DeSantis was even aware of the changes, stating that “I don’t think it’s a fly on his radar right now.” This is a conflation of “a fly on the wall” (an unnoticed observer of a particular situation) and “be on the radar (screen)” (be important or noteworthy). Here is the link:
During lunch, a colleague of the contributor said he saw a name on a list and said “that name clicks a bell”. This is a nice congruent conflation of “clicks” and “rings a bell”, both meaning to understand or remember something or someone, although the latter is to remind you of something but not remember exactly what it is. A tip of the hat to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one, clicking the bell, and sending it in.
On MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight, former CIA director was talking about his concern over action Donald Trump might take against his critics if elected in 2024. This is a mash up of ” depths to which (one) has sunk” (at a low point) and “lengths to which one will go” (try very hard to achieve something). The speaker may have been thinking of dark places. A big thanks to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
A couple were talking about a law school grad who could not get a job with a big firm. The wife said, “she opened her own shingle.” This is a congruent conflation of “hang out (one’s) shingle” and “open (one’s) business”, both meaning to open an offfice for one’s practice. Or maybe the grad became a roofer? A big thank you to David Barnes for hearing this one (at the “Friday evening glass of wine” time) and sending it in.
This one was heard on the podcast Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, and uttered by Jamelle Bouie, columnist for the New York Times. They were talking about the Supreme Court and its current rulings that are highly political in nature, and on ethic issues swirling around the Court at this time. This is a congruent conflation of “does not hold water” and ” does not pass muster”, both referring to something that does not seem to be reasonable or true. I have posted other excellent malaphors involving “muster”, including “it cleared muster”, “it does not withstand muster”, and the classic “it doesn’t pass the mustard”. See, e.g, https://malaphors.com/2018/07/17/he-cleared-muster/.
For those interested, you can hear this malaphor at the 20:05 mark:
The husband was starting yet another new garden bed because he got the idea to have another specialty bed. His wife was talking to a neighbor and said: “Well you know how he is when he gets a bug in his bonnet.” She realized it was a malaphor as soon as she said it. This is a congruent conflation of “a bee in (one’s) bonnet” and “a bug up (one’s) ass”, both describing an obsession, often with sonething that is the source of agitation. A bow of the bonnet to Barry Eigen for sharing this one with us!
Did you enjoy this malaphor? There’s more like this one in my book, “He Smokes Like a Fish and Other Malaphors”, available on Amazon for cheap! Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205. It’s a great bathroom read. Or, try my second book to really work things out: “Things Are Not Rosy-Dory” Malaphors from Politicians and Pundits”. Also cheap! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C7GGMG5?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
This is a mashup of “cut to the chase” (to reach the most important points quickly) and “skip through (something)” (to progress hastily through something). Both idioms refer to doing something quickly. “Cut to the chase” “skips” unnecessary details so the speaker was probably thinking of this. A big thanks to Juiia Keefe for spotting this one and sending it in!
Even the Malaphor King utters one now and then. I was talking to my wife about a person who seems to always get preferential treatment in everything. “Royal glove treatment” was then said. It is a congruent conflation of “the royal treatment” and “white-glove treatment/service”, both referring to service or treatment that is marked with by particular care or attention. Perhaps I had conjured up Queen Elizabeth in her gloves doing the royal wave, not sure.
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