He needs to get his act in gear
Posted: March 28, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: eggcorn, expressions, get your act together, get your ass in gear, humor, malaphor, words 1 CommentThis simple but great malaphor was uttered on the Kojo Nnamdi NPR radio program during a panel discussion. The speaker could not be identified. It is a mashup of “get his act together” (improve) and “get his ass in gear” (hurry up). “Act” and “ass” sound alike so this almost is like an eggcorn. What is an eggcorn, you might ask? An eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker’s dialect (sometimes called oronyms). The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original but plausible in the same context, such as “old-timers’ disease” for “Alzheimer’s disease” (Wikipedia).
I have heard this malaphor often, and am surprised I have never posted this one. A big thanks to David Barnes for hearing this one and sending it in.
We’re behind the ball
Posted: March 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: behind the curve, behind the eight ball, expressions, humor, James Hamblin, language, malaphor, on the ball, Reliable Sourcesj, words Leave a commentThis one was uttered by James Hamblin on the CNN show Reliable Sources. It’s a mashup of “behind the curve” (something or someone not quite able to keep up), and “behind the eight ball” (in a difficult situation or at a disadvantage). Either way I think Mr. Hamblin is right! “Behind” is found in both idioms, creating the mental hiccup. “On the ball” (alert or aware) might also be in the mix, but I doubt that the speaker was thinking that way, given the context. A big thanks to John Polk from @ClichesGoneWild for posting this one! @jameshamblin @ReliableSources
When the chips are falling apart
Posted: March 23, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, let the chips fall where they may, malaphor, when the chips are down, words Leave a commentThe submitter’s doctor has been sending daily emails with COVID-19 updates. One update contained today’s malaphor. Here’s the whole paragraph:
It’s happening. Antivirals, old drugs, and new drugs, monoclonal antibodies, filters, passive use of recovered patient serum. When the chips are falling apart, that is when we find the strength to rebuild. That is who we are.
This is a mashup of “when the chips are down” (a stuation has become difficult) and “let the chips fall where they may” (allow events to unfold naturally). Both expressions have the word “chips” in them, probably the source of the conflation. Also, “things are falling apart” (collapsing or breaking down) is probably in the mix, considering “falling apart” is part of the malaphor and it fits in context. A shout out to Barry Eigen who spotted this one. Barry also noted that in 2016 the chips in chip credit cards were falling apart. https://jennstrathman.com/chip-cards-already-falling-apart/.
All the stacks are in his favor
Posted: March 16, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, Helene Cooper, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, the deck is stacked against him, the odds are in his favor, words Leave a commentHelene Cooper, reporter for the New York Times, speaking about Joe Biden, uttered this nice one on Meet the Press. It’s an incongruent conflation of “the odds are in (someone’s) favor” (someone is likely to win) and “the deck (or cards) is stacked against (someone)” Ms. Cooper is a regular on this site, having uttered more than a few malaphors. A big thanks to Robert J. Smith for hearing this one and passing it on.
Kind of a tough nut to tease out
Posted: March 13, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, tease out, tough nut to crack, words Leave a commentThis was overheard in a work conversation. It is a mashup of “a tough nut to crack” (a problem that is challenging to solve) and “tease out (something)” (to unravel or separate out something). The two idioms fused together indicate something that is hard to solve. A big thanks to Amanda Zsuzsics for hearing this one and sending it in to my facebook page, Malaphors.
They are high on our radar
Posted: March 11, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, high on the list, humor, language, malaphor, on the radar, under the radar, words Leave a commentA national hockey writer was talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup this year, and he mentioned that the Pens are always “high on our radar”. This is a congruent conflation of “on the radar” and “high on the list” (something important or noteworthy). “Under the radar” (undetected) is an idiom and may have contributed to the mashup (under vs. high). A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one and sending it in.
He’s teetering a fragile line
Posted: March 8, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, teetering on the edge, Trump, walking a fine line, words Leave a commentGinger Gibson, Reuters Political Correspondent on the NPR show A1, was talking about Trump’s recent actions relative to the Roger Stone sentencing. This is a mashup of “teetering on the edge” (to be very close to a dangerous situation) and “walking a fine line” (in a dangerous situation where you could easily make a mistake). Both idioms involve dangerous situations, and “line” and “edge” are closely related. Not sure where “fragile” fits in, but “fine” has a similar meaning to “fragile”, to wit – fine means “having or requiring an intricate delicacy of touch” as in ‘delicate’, ‘fragile’, ‘frail’,” etc .” Here’s where you can hear a recording: at 7:25. https://the1a.org/segments/the-news-roundup-domestic-2020-014-02/
By the way, this is Ms. Gibson’s second malaphor. See https://malaphors.com/2018/05/18/the-buck-stops-at-the-top/.
A tip of the hat to David Barnes for hearing this one.
He’s tooting that horn all the way to the bank
Posted: March 2, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Biden, expressions, humor, language, laughing all the way to the bank, malaphor, tooting one's own horn, Trump, words Leave a commentThis one comes from the Washington Post’s Daily 202 Connie Breeden, an attorney who is African American, said “This is going to be Biden’s last stand because he thinks that black people are going to support him just because of Barack Obama. He’s tooting that horn all the way to the bank. But people are savvier than that.” This is a mashup of “tooting his own horn” (to boast or brag about one’s abilities) and “laughing all the way to the bank” (to profit from something that others regard as stupid or frivolous). Here’s the link to the malaphor
Perhaps the speaker was thinking of thieves dressed as clowns robbing a bank. That is certainly in several movies, including Quick Change. A big thank you to Barry Eigen for spotting this one and sending it in.
You were out like a log
Posted: February 24, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, out like a light, slept like a log, words Leave a commentWhile I posted this one way back in 2012, it bears repeating as I think it is one of the purest congruent conflations out there, and a common one as well. The speaker was talking about her lack of sleep the previous night but that her husband slept soundly, describing him as being out like a log. This is a congruent conflation of “slept like a log” and “out like a light”, both referring to sound sleep. There are a lot of the letter L in both expressions, contributing to the mix up. A big thanks to Donna Calvert for sending this one in. Glad to hear Bill is sleeping well in retirement.
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