Use your indoor words
Posted: July 22, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, use your indoor voice, use your wordsh, words 3 CommentsA mom was overheard saying to her rambunctious child, who was over-excited and talking too loudly in public: “use your indoor words.” This is a mashup of “use your words” (tell me with words what you want, rather than whining and crying) and “use your indoor voice” (speak more quietly). “Use your” is the common denominator here, and the cause of the mixup. A big thanks to Verbatim for passing this one along!
Both of their backs were up against a corner
Posted: July 21, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back against the wall, backed into a corner, Dylan Bank, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, Roger Stone, Trump, words Leave a commentDylan Bank, director of the documentary “Get Me Roger Stone!” was interviewed on CNN about Trump’s commutation of Stone’s sentence. Bank was saying that time was running out for both Trump and Stone as Stone was having to report to prison. This nice malaphor was then uttered. You can find it in the transcript here:
https://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2007/13/cnr.12.html
This is a near perfect congruent conflation of “backed into a corner” and “back to the wall”, both meaning to be in a high-pressure situation with no escape. I did post this malaphor last year when Yamiche Alcindor, PBS journalist, said a similar mixup. https://malaphors.com/2019/09/27/they-have-their-backs-up-against-the-corner/?fbclid=IwAR1vaRUEYsSOIg1IFCxK4DGhZ8Uppno_D1ASi0_GlZKK6UyknvGo56EnL28 However, it was too good to pass when offered up a second time. A big thanks to Steve Hubbard and Jim Kozlowski who both spotted this one and sent it in almost at the same time.
They (schools) should get with the drill
Posted: July 20, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, get with the program, humor, know the drill, Larry Kudlow, malaphor, words 2 CommentsLarry Kudlow, White House economic advisor, was talking about the importance of schools reopening in the fall despite the coronavirus. “The president has been very vocal about going back to school. And I would add to that, as I said, all these fancy colleges and universities, of which I went to one,” Kudlow told reporters. “They should get with the drill, you know?” https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/506840-trump-economic-adviser-says-returning-to-school-amid-pandemic-is-not
This is a mashup of “get with the program” (to conform or fall in line with what is expected) and “know the drill” (to be familiar with what happens without having to be told). These two idioms both refer to someone getting something done without being told, and so it is almost a congruent conflation. Maybe Mr. Kudlow was thinking about all the retrofitting construction that might be required in light of the virus. Lots of drills will be needed. A big thanks (again) to Frank King, who heard this one on the Malaphor channel, MSNBC (The 11th Hour).
That’s a big fish to swallow
Posted: July 17, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: big fish, bitter pill, humor, language, malaphor, words Leave a commentThe speaker meant to say “a bitter pill to swallow” (an unwanted or unpleasant situation that someone is forced to accept) but apparently had fish on his mind. This is a mashup of “a bitter pill to swallow” and “big fish in a small pond” (a person who is important in a limited arena). Fish do get swallowed up by other fish and they do swallow hooks, so these pictures might have been on the speaker’s mind as well. Or maybe he was thinking of the classic movie, “Big Fish”. A shout out to Sandor Kovacs for hearing this one and Mike Kovacs for reporting (and saying) it.
Trump coddles up to Putin
Posted: July 15, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: coddle, cuddle up, expressions, humor, Joe Biden, malaphor, mashups, Trump, words Leave a commentThis one comes on the heels of my last malaphor, both uttered by Joe Biden in the same speech. See https://malaphors.com/2020/07/13/the-chinese-are-spending-multiple-billions-of-dollars-trying-to-own-the-technology-of-the-future-while-we-sit-with-our-thumb-in-our-ear/
This one appears near the end of the speech. Here is the text:
The only thing that can tear America part, and I mean this sincerely, no foreign country, not the way he coddles up to, well, I shouldn’t even get into this, but coddles up to Putin and others. They can’t tear us apart.
This is a mashup of “cuddle up to” (get close to, ingratiate) and “coddle” (treat tenderly). A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one on Morning Joe!
The Chinese are spending multiple billions of dollars trying to own the technology of the future while we sit with our thumb in our ear
Posted: July 13, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: close your ears, cover your ears, expressions, humor, Joe Biden, language, malaphors, thumb up our ass, words Leave a commentDemocratic presidential nominee Joe Biden uttered this one in his speech last week in Dunmore, PA. I believe this is a body part mashup of “close your ears (to something)” or “fingers in your ears” (ignore something) and “have (one’s) thumb up (one’s) ass” (not doing what you should be doing). Not sure this one was on the teleprompter. If not, perhaps Joe changed his mind mid- phrase when he was about to utter the word “ass”. You can find the quote here: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/09/joe-biden-economic-plan-355416
A big thanks to Fred Martin and Beatrice Zablocki for both catching this one live and sending a quick email to me. I have a feeling that the next few months will bring an abundance of malaphors. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!
We stemmed that curve
Posted: July 10, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chris Hayes, flatten the curve, humor, language, Lena Hidalgoo, malaphors, stem the tide, words Leave a comment
She’s the last person on the totem pole
Posted: July 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Fred Allen, H. Allen Smith, humor, language, low man on the totem pole, malaphors, words 1 CommentThe humorist H. Allen Smith used this phrase as the title of a book (1941) after the radio comedian Fred Allen had used the term to describe him in an introduction to an earlier book. The position on an actual totem pole bu the way, has no such signficiance. Nevertheless, the term caught on quickly enough to become a cliche.
He just let the cat out of the box
Posted: July 6, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized 4 CommentsInstead of posting my new malaphor for Monday, I thought I would repost this gem from a few years ago. This one appears in my new book, “Things Are Not Rosy-Dory: Malaphors From Politicians and Pundits”, available NOW on Amazon. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C7GGMG5?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
“This is another one from Senator Bernie Sanders, this time regarding a comment made by Senator Pat Toomey. Sen. Sanders asked if Toomey would pledge not to cut Social Security and Medicare and Toomey responded, “I will not cut benefits on people who are on it right now”. Sanders responded that Toomey “Just let the cat out of the box”. It is a mix of “out of the box” (a product that can be used immediately) and “let the cat out of the bag” (to reveal a secret by accident). Of course a “cat box” may have been on Sanders’ mind as he was articulating his disdain for the proposed Republican tax bill. A big thanks to Susan Ameel for hearing this one!”
And below is another nice illustration from the book drawn by my friend and dentist Dr. Cheryl Rosato!
Introducing my new Malaphor book: “Things Are Not Rosy-Dory: Malaphors From Politicians and Pundits”
Posted: July 3, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphors, Things are not Rosy-Dory, words Leave a comment
Malaphors 
Recent Comments