They put me through hoops and ladders
Posted: August 19, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chutes and Ladders, expressions, humor, jump through hoops, language, malaphors, put me through the ringer, words Leave a comment
He flows with the wind
Posted: August 16, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: blows with the wind, expressions, goes with the flow, malaphor, Max Rose, Trump, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by Congressman Max Rose (D-NY) on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show. Rose was talking about efforts to pass gun legislation and he said, referring to Trump, “this President, I believe, has no inner core beliefs. He flows with the wind.” This is a congruent conflation of “goes with the flow” and “blows with the wind”, both meaning to act according to prevailing circumstances rather than a consistent plan. “Blow” rhymes with “flow” which could have contributed to the mashup. A shout out to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in. Picture suggested by Mike!
He’s walking on thin water
Posted: August 14, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: deep water, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, walk on water, walking on thin ice, words 1 CommentThe speaker was talking about someone who needed to be careful. This is a mashup of “walking on thin ice” (to proceed with caution or great care) and I think “in deep water” (an overwheming situation) because of the context. However, “walk on water” (do something extraordinary or impossible) certainly should not be ruled out, as it is scrambled in the malaphor. A shout out to David Stephens who heard this one. David said that he recently slipped on a wet floor and broke his toe so this malaphor really resonated with him.
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bottom of the pack
Posted: August 3, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: back of the pack, bottom of the barrel, expressions, humor, idioms, Joy Reid, language, malaphor, words 1 CommentJoy Reid on MSNBC was discussing the Democratic debate and the attacks from those candidates with the least to lose, referring to them as “those polling at the bottom of the pack”. This is a mashup of “back of the pack” (last ones) and “bottom of the barrel” (least desirable). I suppose this malaphor fits if you are referring to playing cards, or when you have been binge swiping on Tinder and have run out of people – see Urban Dictionary https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bottom%20of%20the%20pack
A shout out to Frank King, a malaphor spotting regular. Good ear, Frank!
One day you might be on the other side of the stick
Posted: August 2, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bob Phillips, Common Cause, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, other side of the coin, short end of the stick, The Guardian, words Leave a commentBob Phillips, state director of the advocacy group Common Cause, uttered this one to The Guardian. Here is the full quote to give you context:
“Unfortunately, the Democrats, some of them will say, ‘We can’t wait to win in 2020, take it back and gerrymander the hell out of them’,” said Phillips. “Now, that’s not what I want, but it’s out there, and it’s playing in the minds of the majority party. If you are the majority party and you don’t do reform, one day you might be on the other side of the stick.”: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/27/us-supreme-court-2020-election-gerrymandering.
This is a mashup of “other side of the coin” (opposite aspect of something) and “short end of the stick” (unequal outcome of a deal that results in a disadvantage). Ends and sides must be the reason for this mental scramble. A big thanks to Barry Eigen for spotting this one.
You won’t get the other side of the stick if you buy the book of books on malaphors, “He Smokes Like a Fish and other Malaphors”, available on Amazon today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692652205
They’re not holding any punches
Posted: July 29, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ayman Mohyeldin, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, MSNBC, not holding back, not pulling any punches, Trump, words Leave a commentAyman Mohyeldin on MSNBC uttered this one when he was talking about Trey Gowdy and Republicans criticizing Democrats and Mueller’s testimony. It is a congruent conflation of “not holding back” and “not pulling any punches”, both meaning to act without restraint or limitations. The congruent conflation to me is the purest form of a malaphor. The speaker is thinking of the correct idiom but there are other idioms that mean the same thing swirling in the brain. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this subtle but classic malaphor. @AymanM
I’m always spinning my tail
Posted: July 26, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: chasing my tail, expressions, humor, malaphor, spinning my wheels, wordplay, words Leave a commentThe speaker was lamenting about his unproductive efforts. This is a classic congruent conflation of “spinning my wheels” and “chasing my tail”, both meaning to take action that is ineffectual or does not lead to progress. The speaker may have had an image of a cat or dog spinning around trying to catch his tail. A tip of the hat to Steve Grieme who heard this one uttered by a friend and passed it on.
He put his lead foot in his mouth
Posted: July 15, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, Joe Biden, language, lead foot, malaphor, put his foot in his mouth, words Leave a commentThe speaker was discussing Biden’s recent bragging about working with segregationists and uttered this malaphor. It is a mashup of “to put (one’s) foot in “one’s” mouth” (unintentionally say something foolish) and “have a lead foot” (tend to speed when driving). “Go over like a lead balloon” (utter failure) might also be in the mix, as it seems to fit in context. This one reminds me of the famous malaphor uttered by Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic Convention, when she referred to George H.W. Bush as someone who “was born with a silver foot in his mouth”. Check that one out in my website at https://malaphors.com/politics/. A big thanks to John Kooser for uttering this one and unabashedly submitting it!
Paul Ryan shamelessly ran cover for Trump
Posted: July 12, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Eric Lutzro co, expressions, humor, language, malaphors, provide cover, run for cover, run interference, Trump, Vanity Fair, words 1 CommentThis appears in the very first line of Eric Lutz’s piece in Vanity Fair on Paul Ryan’s interview with Politico’s Tim Alberta. It is a congruent conflation of “run interference” and “provide cover” (take an action to avoid problems, on behalf of another individual). “Run for cover” might also have been in the writer’s mind, located in the “freudian slip” area. A big thanks to Frank King who spotted this one!
We were cocked and loaded to retaliate
Posted: July 10, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, half-cocked, humor, locked and loaded, malaphor, Trump, words Leave a commentThis beauty comes from a Trump tweet. Concerning a possible military strike against Iran, Trump tweeted, “We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die.” This is a mashup of “locked and loaded” (a command to prepare for battle) and “to go off half-cocked” (to take a premature or ill-considered action). Many news sites picked up on the malaphor, including Reuters, calling it a malaprop. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-malaprop/trumps-half-cocked-and-loaded-tweet-draws-barrage-of-reaction-idUSKCN1TM2I0
We of course know it is not a malaprop (improper use of a word) but rather a malaphor (unintentional blend of two or more idioms). A few loyal followers, including Ron MacDonald and Frank King, spotted this one. Thanks Ron and Frank!
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