When the shit hits the bed
Posted: May 29, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentAn employee was talking about an acquistion of a piece of equipment to displace an unreliable vendor. The speaker meant to say “when the shit hits the fan” but brought “bed” into the conversation. This is a mashup of “when the shit hits the fan” (a situation suddenly causes a lot of trouble for someone) and “he shit the bed” (to fail or completely mess up in a situation). It’s pretty obvious what word caused the mental mixup. This one reminds me of one of the Malaphors of the Year, “my old car shit the bucket”. https://malaphors.com/2019/01/18/my-old-car-shit-the-bucket/ A big thank you to Sandor Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.
Let me run this up the ladder
Posted: May 9, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 2 CommentsThis was a response to a suggestion given in an email. It is a mashup of “run this up the flagpole” (to present an idea to supervisors or stakeholders to get their reaction) and “climb (up) the (corporate) ladder” (advance one’s career through hard work). My guess is that the mixup occurred with the word “run” as it may have prompted the mind to think of “rung” and hence the word “ladder” for “flagpole”. A big shout out to Susan Edwards for spotting this one and sending it in.
Our wishes have been answered
Posted: March 30, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, Josh Getzoff, language, malaphors, Pittsburgh Penguins, words 1 CommentDuring a Pittsburgh Penguins pre-game show, Josh Getzoff uttered this nice congruent conflation of “our prayers have been answered” and “our wishes have been granted”, both phrases confirming that a request has been fulfilled. Props to Steve Kovacs for hearing this subtle malaphor and sending it in!
sent on a false goose chase
Posted: January 9, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words Leave a commentA friend was accidentally given some incorrect information for something he was trying to look up. This caused him to waste time researching in the wrong direction. When he realized he had been given the wrong info, he commented that he was sent on a “false goose chase”. This is a mashup of “wild goose chase” (a hopeless pursuit of something unattainable) and I think, because of the failure to secure the correct information, “false start” (an unsuccessful attempt to begin something). “False flag” (a political or military act done in such a way to appear it was carried out by a party that was actually not responsible) and “false alarm” (unnecessary or unfounded warning) might also be in the mix. A big thank you to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
That blew my mind away
Posted: December 13, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, words 1 CommentIn a conversation, the contributor told a friend a crazy piece of trivia he had never heard before, and he was shocked. This is a congruent conflation of “blew my mind” and “blew me away”, both meaning to surprise someone thoroughly. This one reminds me of a previous malaphor I posted, “it blew our socks off”. https://malaphors.com/2015/07/30/it-blew-our-socks-off/ Some may remember the tagline to a Burger King seven inch burger, “It will blow your mind away”. Apparently some thought it racy and the model who appears in the poster apparently called for a boycott. https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/model-calls-for-a-burger-king-boycott-after-she-was-featured-in-a-sexually-suggestive-ad
A thank you to regular malaphor contributor Verbatim for sending this one in!
We are flying without a net
Posted: December 8, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 5 CommentsThis was heard in a conversation about medical treatment without data to rely on. It is a mix of “flying blind” (working on intuition or guesswork instead of data) and “working without a net” (to take action that is risky or otherwise does not provide safety). Almost a congruent conflation but not quite, but both idioms involve working without any certainty. The speaker may have been thinking of flying acrobats with no net underneath. A big thanks to Tom Justice for sending this one in!
There’s a disturbance in the matrix
Posted: October 1, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: A disturbance in the force, blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, The Matrix, words Leave a commentThis one was overheard in a conversation between a waitress and a customer. Perhaps one might overlook this jumbled phrase if one was not familiar with syfy, but our contributor, Dave Nemcsik recognized the malaphor. It is a mashup of “a disturbance in the Force” (said by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A New Hope) and “a glitch in the Matrix” (discussed in The Matrix). Kudos to Dave Nemcsik for hearing this one and sending it in!
Once in a blue while
Posted: July 11, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, blue whale, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentA store owner was talking about his staff sometimes missing things and he said, “every once in a blue while they forget to do something.” This is a conflation of “(every) once in a while” (occasionally or sometimes) and “once in a blue moon” (rarely or infrequently). Maybe the speaker was thinking of a “blue whale” when he said “blue”. Who knows? A big thanks to Katie Minnock for hearing this one and sending it in!
He let them take them over the coals
Posted: June 30, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, Fox, humor, language, malaphors, Maria Bartiromo, Trump, words Leave a commentTrump was being interviewed by Maria Bartiromo on Fox yesterday (June 29, 2025). She asked him about the tariffs on China and he responded that Biden had a trillion dollar deficit with China, adding that “he (Biden) let them (China) take them (U.S.) over the coals.” This is a mashup of “rake them over the coals” (call to task or reprimand severely) and “take them to the cleaners” (cheat one out of one’s money or possessions). “Rake” and “take” seem to have confused the speaker here. You can hear this at the :39 mark:
A shout out to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in!
Talking to him goes in one ear and out of his ass
Posted: June 28, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, mixed idioms, words 1 CommentThe speaker was exasperated with an adversary in court. She told her husband, “Well, talking to him goes in one ear and out of his ass. It’s simply useless.” This is a mashup of “in one ear and out the other” (essentially ignored or forgotten almost immediately after being heard) and “talk out (of) (one’s) ass” (to talk nonsense or exaggerate one’s achievements). The speaker must have been thinking her adversary was an “ass” when she jumbled the two phrases. A shout out to Marykathryn Kopec for unintentionally uttering this one and sharing it with us! Paints an interesting picture.
Did you like this malaphor? Check out “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors” on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
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