Facebook is a bubble chamber
Posted: December 20, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: echo chamber, expressions, facebook, humor, language, live in a bubble, malaphor, malaphors, words 1 CommentThe “Great Malaphor Hunter”, Mike Kovacs, uttered this one at lunch the other day. He was talking about Facebook posts and how people don’t engage in actual discussions with others with opposing views. This is a nice mashup of “live in a bubble” (separated from society or sheltered) and “echo chamber” (a metaphorical description of a situation in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system). When I heard this, I immediately thought of Get Smart and the “cone of silence”. A big thanks to Anthony Kovacs for outting his Dad, malaphorically speaking.
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It’s a bunch of humbo jumbo
Posted: December 16, 2019 Filed under: WORD BLENDS | Tags: expressions, humbug, humor, language, malaphor, mumbo jumbo, Trump, words Leave a commentSomeone was referring to the Repbulicans’ defense in the Trump impeachment hearings. This is a nice word blend of “humbug” (deceptive or false talk) and “mumbo jumbo” (intended to cause confusion). Both expressions refer to misleading someone. Maybe it’s a new expression, meaning deceptive talk meant to confuse? A big thanks to John Kooser who overheard this one.
I was elected to “Clean the Swamp”
Posted: December 15, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: clean house, drain the swamp, expressions, humor, idioms, malaphor, malaphors, Trump, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by President Trump in a December 5, 2019 tweet. Here it is:
..trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to “Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!
Trump’s mantra has always been “drain the swamp”, so I believe this is a malaphor, conflating “drain the swamp” with “clean house”, both meaning to wipe out corruption or inefficiency. A big thanks to Sandor Kovacs for spotting this one and sending it in.
Trump walked in like an elephant in a china shop
Posted: December 9, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bull in a china shop, elephant in the room, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Morning Joe, Trump, words 4 CommentsNicole Wallace on Morning Joe uttered this nice malaphor. It is a mashup of “bull in a china shop” (one who is aggressive and clumsy in a situation that requires care and delicacy) and “the elephant in the room” (an obvious truth or fact that is being intentionally ignored or left unaddressed). Not sure what would cause more damage in a china shop – a bull or an elephant? By the way, elephants are a common source of malaphors: just type the word “elephant” in the search engine on my website and you will find a treasure trove of elephant malaphors. a big thanks to Donna Calvert for hearing this one and passing it on.
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What a flash from the past!
Posted: December 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blast from the past, expressions, flashback, humor, language, malaphor, words Leave a commentThis was uttered in response to finding a cake topping used in childhood. It’s a congruent conflation of ‘blast from the past” and “flashback”, both describing something that evokes a sense of nostalgia. “Blast” and “past” are similar sounding. A big thanks to Nick Mamalis for saying this one and Elaine Hatfield for sharing it.
middle of the ground
Posted: November 25, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, middle ground, middle of the road, words Leave a commentThe speaker was talking about taking a centrist approach. This is a nice mashup of “middle ground” (compromise) and “middle of the road” (moderate or centrist). Both idioms have the word “middle” and both describe the center of something, hence the mixup. A big thanks to Katie Norwood for uttering this one and sharing it!
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Let’s kick this down the line
Posted: November 22, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: down the line, expressions, humor, kick this around, malaphor, malaphors, up the line, words Leave a commentThe Queen of Malaphors, Naomi David, is back! She uttered this beauty, which is a mashup of “kick this around” (mull over or consider something) and “down the line” (in the future), creating a definition of thinking about something for the future. She may also have been thinking “up the line” (through the chain of command). And of course she may have been thinking of “kicking the can down the road” (avoiding making a decision) although I believe the context was brainstorming. A big thanks to Katie Norwood who passed this one on.
We’re as thick as two thieves in a pod
Posted: November 18, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, like two peas in a pod, malaphor, malaphors, Scrubs, thick as thieves, words 2 CommentsThis one comes from the tv show Scrubs. While intentional, it’s a classic malaphor and worth posting (although it does go against the rules that the malaphor spoken or written should be unintentional). Still, too good to pass up. It’s a mashup (of course) of “thick as thieves” (a close alliance or friendship) and “like two peas in a pod” (similar interests or beliefs). This one works on many levels – similar idioms, and the rhyme of “peas” and “thieves”. A big thanks to Elly Pietrucha for spotting this one on a rerun.
Quid pro quo is one of these things to muddy the works
Posted: November 11, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, gum up the works, humor, Jim Himes, language, malaphor, malaphors, Meet the Press, muddy the waters, Trump, words Leave a commentThis gem was uttered by Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) yesterday on Meet the Press, talking about the Trump impeachment inquiry. It is a mashup of “muddy the waters” (to make a situation less clear) and “gum up the works” (to interfere with the proper functioning of something). Both expressions refer to degrading something, and “works” and “waters” might have been jumbled by the phrase “water works”? A big shout out to Bruce Ryan who heard this one and passed it on. @jahimes @MeetThePress
You can hear this malaphor just about at the beginning of the video:
The book is running away from the charts
Posted: November 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, off the charts, ran away with, words Leave a commentA TV host was interviewing an author, and commenting on the author’s successful book (on the NY Times bestseller list). This seems to be a mashup of “run away with” (win handily) and “off the charts” (spectacular). Both phrases refer to something or someone having success, hence the mixup in context. A big thanks to Verbatim for hearing this one and sending it in.
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