I was double-stabbed
Posted: June 5, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: double-crossed, expressions, humor, idioms, malaphor, stabbed in the back, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about someone at work who had requested something and then was later penalized for the exact thing. It is a nice congruent conflation of “stabbed in the back” and “double-crossed”, both meaning to be betrayed. A big thanks to Jamie for sharing this one, and who immediately recognized it was a malaphor! Glad you shared it immediately, Jamie, as they quickly recede from the memory banks for some reason.
I was surprised he fell south so fast
Posted: May 31, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 93.7 the Fan, expressions, fall apart, go south, humor, malaphors, Ron Cook, words Leave a commentAnother from sports talk radio. A sports columnist, Ron Cook, was commenting on Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove’s recent poor outings and did not expect them after his excellent start of the season. It is a congruent conflation of “fall apart” and “go south”, both meaning to depreciate or drop in value. If you fall south then does that mean you rise north? A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and passed it on.
That’s why I think the President was so steamed off this morning
Posted: May 28, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphors, Nancy Pelosi, pissed off, steamed, Trump, words Leave a commentThis beauty was uttered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, referring to Trump’s reaction to her comments about him engaging in a cover-up. Here is the context:
“This is why I think the president was so steamed off this morning, because the fact is in plain sight, in the public domain, this president is obstructing justice and he’s engaged in a cover-up, and that could be an impeachable offense,” the San Francisco Democrat said at a progressive conference.
This is a nice congruent conflation of “pissed off” and “steamed (up)”, both meaning to be angry. My guess is that Speaker Pelosi was thinking “pissed” but quickly realized that would not be a prudent thing to say in public. Just guessing. I will note for the record that “steamed off” is a phrase, but it normally means to leave or depart in an angry or animated manner. A big tip of the hat to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one!
We’re firing on all wheels now!
Posted: May 26, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, firing on all cylinders, humor, malaphors, put the wheels in motion, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by a server at a restaurant after everyone ordered their food. It is a mashup of “firing on all cylinders” (to operate at the greatest possible speed or efficiency”) and I think “put the wheels in motion” (get something started) given the context. Wheels and cylinders are parts of a car, and probably that contributed to the mental mixup. A big thanks to Steve Grieme who heard this one and sent it in.
His experience as a POW drove tears into my eyes
Posted: May 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: brought me to tears, expressions, Hal Kushner, humor, language, malaphor, moved me to tears, Vietnam, words Leave a commentThis was in response to a picture of me and Hal Kushner on my Facebook page. Tears for Hal Kushner, the Vietnam hero who is featured in Ken Burns’ Vietnam War series. It is a congruent conflation of “moved (drove) me to tears” and “brought tears to my eyes”, both meaning to evoke a strong emotion. If you don’t know about Dr. Kushner and his amazing story, watch the Burns series or check him out on google or YouTube. A big thanks to my friend Rainer Reichelt for unintentionally writing this nice malaphor and driving tears into my eyes with laughter!
You can get it for a song and dance
Posted: May 17, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: for a song, humor, language, malaphors, song and dance, words Leave a commentMaybe this means to get a low price after an elaborate request? In any event, this phrase is a nice mix of “for a song” (for a very low price) and “a song and dance” (an elaborate story or effort to explain something). Kudos to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it along.
Joe Biden can’t count all the chickens before they roost
Posted: May 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chickens, expressions, hatch, humor, Joe Biden, language, malaphor, MSNBC, roost, Trump, words, Zerlina Maxwell Leave a commentZerlina Maxwell said this on MSNBC’s Hardball recently. She was speaking about Biden and that since 21 Dems are running (and counting), he can’t be sure he will get the nomination. Ms. Maxwell actually uttered this same malaphor last year when she was talking about Democrats avoiding calls for impeaching Trump. Here was my post:
Zerlina Maxwell on MSNBC’s “Live with Katie Tur” uttered this beauty when she was talking about Democrats avoiding calls for impeaching Trump. This is a barnyard mashup of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” (don’t make future plans before they happen) and “chickens come home to roost” (you have to face the consequences of your mistakes). “Chickens” of course are the culprit here, contributing to the mental yolk. These fowl phrases seem to get mixed up a lot – see “Never count your eggs before they hatch (July 9, 2012 post) , and “Might the roosters be guarding the henhouse?” (August 2, 2014 post). I was eggcited when several people laid this one on me. First was the ubiquitous Mike Kovacs, followed quickly by James Kozlowski and Bob Maxwell (no relation). Malaphor spotters are everywhere it seems.
https://malaphors.com/2018/08/27/they-dont-want-to-count-their-chickens-before-they-roost/
Zerlina, if you are following, please keep them coming. We need to egg this process forward. This is a favorite of mine. The latest barnyard mashup was brought to you compliments of Beatrice Zablocki (“my ol’ pal”).
He always said 1990 was the year he hit the rocks
Posted: May 13, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: hit a new low, hit rock bottom, hit the skids, humor, idioms, language, malaphor, Morning Joe, Susanne Craig, Trump, words Leave a commentThis one comes from New York Times reporter Susanne Craig, appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, discussing her reporting on Donald Trump’s business losses during 1984-1994. It is a congruent conflation of “hit rock bottom” and “hit the skids”, both referring to a period of trouble or decline. Both contain the word “hit”, contributing to the mixup. “Hit a new low” might also be in the mix. A big thanks to Vicki Ameel Kovacs for hearing this one. Vicki can spot a malaphor a mile away.
Egg this process forward
Posted: May 10, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Barr, Devlin Barrett, egg on, expressions, malaphor, malaphors, move it forward, Rachel Maddow, Trump, words Leave a commentThis was uttered on the Rachel Maddow show. It was regarding Devlin Barrett’s breaking story regarding Mueller’s letter to Barr about his concerns with Barr’s summary. It is a nice congruent conflation of “egg someone on” and “move (something) forward” both meaning to cause or encourage someone to do something. A big thanks to Frank King, the Mental Health Comedian, for hearing this one!
He’s a pillar of salt
Posted: May 8, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: humor, language, malaphors, pillar of strength, salt of the earth, words Leave a commentThis one comes from Cape Town, South Africa. One of the contestants on the tv show “The Bachelor South Africa” was describing her dad. It is a mix of “pillar of strength” (a supportive or emotionally strong person) and “salt of the earth” (a genuine and morally sound person). Both idioms describe a person of good character, probably creating the confusion. Also, as the contibutor of this malaphor said, the speaker may have been thinking of that Biblical pillar of salt, Lot’s wife. A big thanks to Erika Bornman who heard this beauty and sent it in all the way from Cape Town, South Africa.
Did you like this one? Check out the salty book on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205.
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