On the podcast The Megyn Kelly Show, Dave Portnoy, president and founder of Barstool Sports, was being interviewed by Kelly. They were talking about Meghan Markle’s perceived entitlement and portraying herself as a victim. Portnoy said that Markle didn’t need to work or complain as she is “living in a fantasy tale.” You can hear this one at the 1:34:00 minute mark (May 1, 2025 show). This is a congruent conflation of “a fairy tale” and “fantasy land”, both referring to imaginary places of utter perfection and happiness. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
Two friends were discussing conflict resolution strategies that could be employed to get two other friends talking again. One said, “if we can just get them in the same room, it will be easy sailing” (to get them back on friendly terms). This is a congruent conflation of “smooth sailing” and “easy as pie” or perhaps “easy peasy”, all meaning for something to be easy and without problems. “Easy sledding” may also be in the mix, as “sledding” and “sailing” sound similar. Kudos once again to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
On the Office Ladies podcast, hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, they talked about some of the best mistaken idioms ever uttered by Angela because she’s prone to such things. One of her favorites was “like a kid in a candy jar.”
This is a mashup of “like a kid in a candy store” (many enticing options from which it is difficult to make a selection) and “caught with (one’s) hands in the cookie jar” (caught in the act of some wrongdoing). Cookies and candies seem to be the mental mixup here. Might be some Willy Wonka sh*t going on here. A big thanks to Jake Lauer for hearing this one and sending it in!
This is a mashup of “fly off (the handle)” (lose one’s temper suddenly and unexpectedly) and “off the cuff” (speak spontaneously and frankly). It’s a beautiful malaphor, expressing someone with sudden rage and outspokenness at the same time. The “off the cuff” idiom has been unintentionally blended in many ways, and you can find them on my website by typing “cuff” in the search engine. One of my favorites is “Trump shoots from the cuff”. https://malaphors.com/2015/09/05/trump-shoots-from-the-cuff/
A big thank you to Tom Justice for spotting this one and sending it in.
This one was heard on the MSNBC podcast All In with Chris Hayes. It is a mashup of “kowtow” (acting in a subservient manner) and “toe the line” (accept the authority of an individual or group). Both are about conforming in some manner. You can hear the malaphor at 40:26:
Last week on the show Deadline: White House, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was talking about Trump and his reckless behavior. He then uttered this nice congruent conflation of “shooting from the hip” and “flying by the seat of (one’s) pants”, both meaning to act or speak impulsively without planning in advance. Can’t help but think “shitting (one’s) pants” (to be extremely frightened) might also have been on the speaker’s mind. Kudos to Steve Messinger for hearing this one and sending it in!
Heard on April 6. A CNN correspondent was talking about a government lawyer’s legal argument in one of the many cases against the Trump administration. The correspondent opined that “he’s standing on shaky ice”. This is a congruent conflation of “on thin ice” and “on shaky ground”, both meaning to be in a precarious or risky position. This one is similar to a recent post – https://malaphors.com/2025/01/31/on-the-edge-of-very-thin-ice/ . Perhaps the speaker was thinking of a nice cocktail in the future.
Cheers to Tom Justice for hearing this one in his car and immediately sending it in!
A few people were watching the trailer for the new movie, F1, with Brad Pitt, and one remarked that the movie looks like “it keeps you on the edge of your toes”. This is a mashup of “on (someone’s) toes” (alert and active) and “on the edge of (one’s) seat” (excited, nervous). Both are very close in meaning. Maybe ballet talk? A big thank you to Kristen Ann for uttering this one and Anthony Kovacs for sending it in!
A couple were watching a very popular t.v. show, and the husband clearly was not enjoying it. The wife remarked: “It isn’t wowing you over, is it?” This is a congruent conflation of “wowing (someone)” and “bowling (someone) over”, both meaning to thoroughly impress someone. A big thank you to Barry Eigen who heard this one and sent it in.
Did that malaphor wow you over? If so, check out my malaphor books, “He Smokes Like a Fish” and “Things Aren’t Rosy Dory”, both available on Amazon for cheap!
CNN was interviewing Rufus Gifford, a former United States Ambassador to Denmark about the Vances’ trip to Greenland and he said Vance “thumbed the Greenlanders in the eye”. This is a congruent conflation of “thumbed their noses” and “poked them in the eye”, both a description of disrespect. Of course, a thumb in the eye would also hurt and be disrespectful. A tip of the hat to Paula Garrety who heard this one and sent it in.
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