Transparency is a two way sword
Posted: June 13, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, David Axelrod, double edged sword, expressions, humor, James Clapper, malaphor, The Axe Files, Trump, two way street, words Leave a commentThis gem was uttered by James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, on CNN’s The Axe Files with David Axelrod. It is a mashup of “double-edged sword” (something that can be both beneficial and problematic) and “two-way street” (a situation where both sides must put forth an equal amount of effort to get a desired result). The reason for the mixup is obvious: “double” means “two”. Also, the two expressions are close in meaning. A big thanks to James Kozlowski for hearing this one and sending it in.
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Lay down the gauntlet
Posted: June 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cnn, expressions, humor, language, lay down the law, Maggie Haberman, malaphor, throw down the gauntlet, words Leave a commentThis was spoken on June 6 by New York Times’ reporter Maggie Haberman, appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics. It is a subtle mashup of “throw down the gauntlet” (to issue a challenge) and “lay down the law” (to give a directive or order sternly). I suppose one could lay down the gauntlet but throwing it seems much more appropriate. This expression alludes to the medieval practice of a knight throwing down his gauntlet, or metal glove, as a challenge to combat. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s. A big thanks once again to Frank King for hearing this one and throwing it my way. @MaggieNYT
She bought the Kool Aid
Posted: June 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: buy into it, drink the Kool Aid, expressions, humor, Jim Jones, Jonestown, malaphor, malaphors, words 3 CommentsA friend and his wife were watching t.v. The wife uttered this, discussing someone who believed what they heard. It is a congruent conflation of “drinking the Kool Aid” and “buy into it”, both meaning to go along or believe in an idea because of peer pressure. The former expression derives from the November 1978 Jonestown deaths, in which over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, who were followers of Jim Jones, died, many of whom committed suicide by drinking a mixture of a powdered soft-drink flavoring agent laced with cyanide and prescription drugs Valium, Phenergan, and chloral hydrate, while the rest of the members, including 89 infants and elderly, were killed by forced ingestion of the poison. A big thanks to Martin Pietrucha for hearing this one and passing it on!
head over teacups
Posted: June 8, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Andy Hallet, Angel, ass over teacups, expressions, head over heels, humor, Lorne, malaphor, words 1 CommentThis was uttered by the green horned demon Lorne on the t.v. show Angel. He was commenting on how things were even more chaotic than usual. This is a mashup of “head over heels” (completely, thoroughly) and “ass over teacups” (flipped upside down). This is an interesting mix, as “head over heels” literally means flipped upside down, or “ass over teacups”. Also, the word “over” is used in both expressions, contributing to the mixup. A big thanks to John Kooser who heard this one and reported it immediately.
Worked hand in arm with the Russians
Posted: June 6, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: arm in arm, expressions, hand in glove, humor, Lawrence Tribe, malaphor, MSNBC, Trump, words 1 CommentThis one was spoken by Constitutional Law expert Lawrence Tribe on MSNBC’s Chris Hayes show. He was discussing the issue of collusion. This is a nice mashup of “arm in arm” (closely allied or intimate) and “hand in glove” (suiting one another naturally). Hands and arms pop up frequently in malaphors. In fact, the misuse of body parts in expression seems to be one of the most common elements in malaphors. A big thanks to Frank King for spotting this one.
A chill ran through my blood
Posted: June 4, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: a chill ran down my spine, Evil Genius, expressions, humor, language, malaphor, my blood ran cold, Netflix, words Leave a commentIn the Netflix series, “Evil Genius”, courtroom artist Kevin John uttered this malaphor when the defendant in the infamous Pizza Bomber case walked into the courtroom. It is a congruent conflation of “a chill (or shiver) ran down my spine” and “my blood ran cold”, both describing a sensation of fear or dread. “Ran” is in both expressions, probably contributing to the mental hiccup. Also “cold” and “chill” are similar meaning and sounding words. A tip of the toque to Mike Kovacs, aka “The Malaphor Hunter”.
He should jump to the chase
Posted: June 2, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ari Melber, cut to the chase, expressions, humor, jump at the chance, malaphor, malaphors, MSNBC, Randy Credico, Trump, words 2 CommentsRandy Credico uttered this one on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber the other night. Credico was talking about encouraging Adam Schiff to take the opportunity to meet with Julian Assange, saying “he should jump to the chase…” This is a mashup of “cut to the chase” (abandon the preliminaries and focus on what is important) and “jump at the chance” (seize the opportunity). Similar looking and sounding words “Chance” and “chase” probably were the culprits in this jumble. A big thanks to “Hawkear” Frank King for sharing this one.
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There’s a smoke trail
Posted: June 1, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: expressions, humor, language, malaphor, Mark Teixeira, paper trail, Robinson Cano, smoking gun, words 1 CommentThis malaphor was uttered by Mark Teixeira, discussing Robinson Cano’s suspension for violating MLB drug rules:
“Robbie Cano’s assistant was on the list for Biogenesis,” Teixeira said. “Of course he had his assistant buy stuff for him. Alex Rodriguez got popped by Biogenesis and Melky got popped. They’re his best friends. When someone gets lumped into that group, it’s because there’s evidence, there’s a paper trail, there’s a smoke trail. …
This is a mash up of “paper trail” (written evidence of someone’s activities) and “smoking gun” (indisputably incriminating evidence). The speaker might also have been thinking about contrails, which are essentially smoke trails from airplanes. A big thanks to John Costello for spotting this one!
Good Magic. Tip my hand to him
Posted: May 29, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bob Baffert, expressions, humor, malaphor, malaphors, Preakness, show my hand, tip my hat, words Leave a commentThis was uttered by Justify’s trainer, Bob Baffert, at the 2018 Preakness. It is a mashup of “tip my hat” (to give one credit) and “show my hand” (to make one’s plans known to others). A big thanks to John Polk. John by the way has a great twitter account called @ClichesGoneWild. If you enjoy wordplay, you will love his posts.
He broke the scoop
Posted: May 21, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: break the story, expressions, get the scoop, humor, language, malaphor, malaphors, Rachel Maddow, Trump, words Leave a commentRachel Maddow uttered this malaphor the other night, talking about Ronan Farrow’s latest scoop. It is a mashup of “get the scoop” (get the news) and “break the story” (the first to address an issue, usually news). Since “the scoop” is usually the news, this fractured saying makes some sense. It also has a little assonance to it, so to speak. Another thank you to Frank King for sharing this one.
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