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!
On the youtube video, “Mechanics React to Sketchy Marketplace Ads” from the series Real Mechanic Stuff, the speakers suggested they needed to “tone it back”. This is a conflation of “tone it down” (make something less extreme or harsh) and “roll it back” (reduce the power or importance of something). “Reel it in” (bring in someone or something that one wants) seems to be on their minds, as they stumbled in thought and blurted that expression out shortly afterwards. You can hear the malaphor at 11:17 here:
Props to Doug Pietrucha for hearing this one and sending it in!
A grandmother was talking about her granddaughter, describing her as “sharp as a whistle”. This is a mashup of “sharp as a tack” (very clever or intelligent) and “clean as a whistle” (completely, entirely, or very neat). Perhaps she is smart and super clean? The malaphor is similar to a previous posting, “tight as a whistle”. https://malaphors.com/2022/03/14/security-is-tight-as-a-whistle/
A big thanks to Sam Edelmann who heard this one and passed it along!
It’s that time again and I know everyone has been anticipating this moment. It is NOW time to reveal this year’s Malaphor of the Year. But before I unveil this masterpiece, here are the winners of past years:
2015 – I have a pulse to the ground (submitted by Paula Garrety)
2016 – Let’s give them a round of hand! (submitted by Martin Pietrucha)
2017 – Welcome to my shoes (submitted by Steve Kovacs)
2018 – Whatever turns your boat (submitted by John Kooser)
2019 – My old car shit the bucket (submitted by John Fischer)
2020 – You’re a one-horse pony (submitted by Bruce Ryan and Ron MacDonald)
2021 – The new President says he wants to turn over a new page (submitted by Frank King)
2022 – Backseat Quarterback (submitted by Chuck Hatsis)
2023 – His cards of lies are about to crumble (submitted by Mike Kovacs)
Before I reveal the winner, I want to give a shout out to the runners-up:
#5 Tying themselves in pretzels (May 2024 – submitted by Mike Kovacs). This conflation of “tying”, “twisting”, “knots”, and “pretzels” is a malaphor masterpiece.
#4 He’s a wet toast (December 2024 – submitted by Bruce Ryan). A beautifully descriptive mashup.
#3 They’re like a fish up a tree (February 2024 – submitted by Martin Pietrucha). This conflation describing professional soccer players attempting to play with both legs is a perfect description, improving the underlying idioms..
#2 I’m gonna want to pick your ear on this (September 2024 – submitted by Andy Jacobs). A beautiful visual and conflation had to be my runner-up of the year.
But the winner this year is She was giving me the cold finger, submitted by Jim Weil (September 2024). This new conflated phrase might be the ultimate snub. It is a mashup of “give (one) the finger” (to treat one poorly or display contempt for someone) and “give someone the cold shoulder” (to snub someone).
A discussion on Christmas Eve describing a friend gives us this nice malaphor. It is a blend of “wet blanket” (discouraging enjoyment or enthusiasm) and “milquetoast” (lacking vigor, wishy washy), both referring to someone who is boring and dull. It’s not quite a congruent conflation but definitely an excellent description! A big thanks to Bruce Ryan for hearing this one and sending it in.
This is the last malaphor posted for 2024. Stay tuned for what everyone has been waiting for — Malaphor of the Year!
This is a mashup of “a lot at stake” (taking a big risk) and “stakes are high” (risk losing a lot or it will be dangerous). A big thank you to veteran malaphor spotter Frank King for noticing this one and sending it in.
The contributor’s nephew, who loves just about all sports, uttered this one. It is a congruent conflation of “a softball” and “a layup”, both describing something easy (one is a question and the other a task). A softball layup must be super easy. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
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