He’s the head kahuna
Posted: September 11, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Beach Blanket Bingo, big kahuna, BigKahuna, blended idioms, Cliff Robertson, expressions, head honcho, humor, language, malaphors, Martin Milner, mixed idioms, words 2 Comments
Sandra Dee as Gidget in the 1959 film, (VHS cover) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Elaine Hatfield said this to me in the car the other day. She immediately wrote it down so that we would remember it (sign of a good malaphor). This is a mash up of “big kahuna” and “head honcho”, both meaning the person in charge. The use of the term “big kahuna” in reference to surfing can be traced back to the 1959 film Gidget, in which “The Big Kahuna“, played by Cliff Robertson, (Martin Milner in the TV episode), was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket Bingo, where the “Big Kahuna” was the best surfer on the beach
We’ll drop a line in the water and see what sticks
Posted: September 9, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, drop, FOOD, water | Tags: blended idioms, dip a toe in the water, expressions, humor, language, make it stick, malaphors, Mike Tomlin, mixed idioms, Pittsburgh Steelers, Running back, words Leave a comment
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin – September 16, 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This jumble was apparently uttered by Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin a few weeks ago in response to the running backs situation. It is a mash up of “dip a toe in the water” (to test or try out something) and “make (something) stick” (to cause to be accepted). “Throw dirt enough and some will stick” might also be in the equation. Given the Steelers first performance, apparently the line was made of teflon. Thanks to Dan Geier for overhearing this one on the radio.
She stopped them cold in their tracks
Posted: September 7, 2013 Filed under: stop | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, stopped dead in his tracks, stopped him cold, words Leave a commentThis subtle congruent conflation is a mix of “stopped them dead in their tracks” and “stopped (someone) cold”, both meaning to stop someone or something immediately. Thanks to Jane Eyre (the real one, not the fictional one) for uttering this unintentional malaphor.
He had the nurses eating out of his fingertips
Posted: September 2, 2013 Filed under: ACTION, BODY PARTS, eat, finger, hand | Tags: blended idioms, congruent conflations, eating out of my hand, expressions, humor, language, Little finger, malaphors, mixed idioms, twisted around the little finger, words 1 CommentI believe this is a congruent conflation of “eating out of his hand” and “twisted around his little finger“, both meaning to control or manipulate others. “At your fingertips” (within reach) might also be in the jumble. Regardless, this malaphor paints an unsanitary picture but one worthy of posting on Labor Day. Here’s to all the hardworking nurses out there! A shout out to Steve Grieme for sending this one in.
Please stop and smell the daisies
Posted: August 30, 2013 Filed under: daisies, roses, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, flowers, humor, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pushing up daisies, stop and smell the roses, words Leave a comment
Daisies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I saw this malaphor in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and had to post it right away. It is a mash up of “stop and smell the roses” (pause and enjoy life) and “pushing up daisies” (dead). “Wake up and smell the coffee” may also be in the mix. Not sure if daisies really have any smell, but I don’t really want to push any of them up anytime soon.
There’s no use crying over fish in the sea
Posted: August 27, 2013 Filed under: ANIMALS, cry, fish, milk | Tags: blended idioms, Don Draper, don't cry over spilled milk, expressions, humor, language, Mad Men, malaphors, mixed idioms, plenty of fish in the sea, television, words Leave a comment
Don Draper of Mad Men works on Madison Avenue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have too many fires on the plate
Posted: August 26, 2013 Filed under: ball, fire, irons, THINGS | Tags: blended idioms, humor, irons in the fire, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, plate is full, words Leave a commentThis is a mash up of “too many irons in the fire” (many things happening at once) and “my plate is full” (working at capacity on many things). It is similar to previous malaphors (“lot of irons in the pipeline” – 12/13/12 – “lot of balls in the fire” – 7/17/13), all referring to many things happening at the same time. Perhaps that is what the mind does with expressions: juggling a million in the brain and two similar ones spit out. A big thank you to David Spain for overhearing this one.
We’re in a f***ing stagmire
Posted: August 22, 2013 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, Long Term Parking, malaphors, mixed idioms, portmanteau, quagmire, Sopranos, stagnant, words Leave a comment
Long Term Parking (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is a word blend malaphor (see my discussion of word blends in the 2/2/13 post, Portmanteaus and Single Word Malaphors) of quagmire and stagnant. This now famous malaphor was spoken by Little Carmine in perhaps the best episode of The Sopranos – Season 5’s Long Term Parking episode. Little Carmine is a fountain of malaprops and malaphors, making him one of the more humorous characters in the series.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stagmire
It was so cold my lips were chattering
Posted: August 21, 2013 Filed under: BODY PARTS, lips, tooth | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, language, lips are blue, malaphors, mixed idioms, teeth are chattering, words 1 CommentAnd my teeth were blue? This is a wacky mixture of “teeth are chattering” and “lips are blue”, both describing being extremely cold. A big thank you to Steve Grieme for hearing this one from his son on a recent family vacation and sending it to Malaphor Central!
You’re not in the microscope as much
Posted: August 20, 2013 Filed under: microscope | Tags: blended idioms, expressions, humor, in the spotlight, language, malaphors, mixed idioms, Penn State, Pennsylvania State University, under the microscope, words Leave a commentThis is a humorous blend of “under the microscope” and “in the spotlight”, both meaning to be the center of attention and examined closely. The sports world strikes again with its treasure trove of malaphors. One of the Penn State quarterbacks transferred to a smaller school, Robert Morris, and had this to say:
“I really don’t think it’s been that big of an adjustment for me, going from Division I-A to I-AA, but it is different being here,” Jones said last week before a Robert Morris spring practice. “It’s a much smaller school than Penn State. You’re not in the microscope as much.”
http://www.centredaily.com/2013/04/14/3578671/ron-musselman-former-penn-state.html
Thanks to Justin Taylor for spotting this subtle gem.
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